Don and Lana's Anniversary: A Love Rekindled

The water was perfect. The water was perfect and so was the wine. So were we, the two of us. The sun went down, the candles melted into the water, and it was just us.

"I love you." I said.

She smiled. She touched my face with her hand and I felt her lips on mine. She pulled back and looked at me with those eyes. "I love you."

I smiled back and kissed her again. She kissed me back and again as well as she always did. Her hands found my waist and she pulled me closer to her; our bellies touching under the surface of the water, our hips locked together, our hearts beating against each other's chest...

My hand moved down from her back to her hip and then to her thigh. We had done this before, countless times before, but it was different today. It was different because we weren't merely lovers having a good time in Italy - we were husband and wife celebrating our 5th Anniversary together.

The first time we had made love was in this very pool after an afternoon spent lounging around it, eating far too much cheese and drinking far too much Chianti. It was hot that day, very hot - but there we were lying side by side on the edge of the pool, staring at the house thinking about how nice it would be to live there forever when all of a sudden she turned towards me, looked at me with those eyes of hers and said: "Let's go for a swim". And so I followed her into the pool where she took my head in between her hands and kissed me as I've never been kissed before. Our bodies were slick with water but our tongues were dry as they danced around each other's mouths like it was the last kiss of a dying man...

That night we fell asleep in each other's arms while listening to the sound of thunder outside. A storm had come out of nowhere - one moment there was nothing but clear skies and hot sun; the next moment, I could barely see anything through all that rain pounding onto the windowpanes of our bedroom...

It rained for days after that - days that seemed endless because every moment of them I wanted to be with her, wrapped up in her body, breathing in her scent and feeling those curves against my own body. In fact, I didn't do much else during those days except for eat, sleep, and make love to my wife...

We ate strawberries from our garden with wine from Tuscany; we drank coffee from Rome on breakfasts that lasted hours; we lay on silk sheets in an old villa surrounded by Renaissance masterpieces looking out over Lake Como, wondering what it would have been like to live centuries ago...

We talked about everything and anything under those sun-filled skies: family, friends, politics - whatever came to our minds when there wasn't anything else left to say, that is...

We swam naked in the pool while raindrops fell from the sky; we ate breakfast at midnight by candlelight eating delicacies bought from Milan; we went to La Scala Opera House - only just missing Pavarotti himself, even though Don only knew him as Luciano...

Our friend Don shared his innovative projects with us, seeking our admiration for his ideas. We marveled at developments in technology as they unfolded – new iPhone releases, advancements in virtual reality, and more.

We explored the beauty and extravagance of Italy, from the high fashion of Milan's Piazza del Duomo to the bustling Garibaldi Station where cruise ships carried tourists to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Naples.

Amidst this idyllic backdrop, the world continued to turn. The tumultuous 2016 United States presidential election brought Donald Trump to power, sparking protests throughout the country. Political intrigue and investigations into his connections to Russia and the dismissal of FBI Director James Comey continued to unfold.

Nevertheless, in our own little world, we remained steadfast, celebrating our love for each other and the life we had built together. Despite everything else happening around us, all that truly mattered was our unwavering connection and commitment to one another.