Autumn Afternoon

I wanted him to rest just as much as he wanted to stay awake. So I laid my head on his shoulder and felt his fall on top of mine. We sat together in the orchard under the shade. It was warm for autumn. So warm that the sweet smell of McIntosh baked itself into the breeze. I closed my eyes and laid as still as I could, as if I feared I would startle him if I took a big enough breath. But I felt his heart beat slow and I let myself breathe. I knew he’d fallen asleep.