All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. You recited the common proverb to yourself as you sat at your desk, hunched over your own work, feeling a lot like Jack. Your desk lamp shed a soft golden light upon the numerous sheets of paper laid in front of you, each one covered top to bottom with your handwriting. The scratching of your pencil against paper had been the only sound you had heard in over three hours. More pieces of paper filled the trash can beside your chair, each one of them crumpled into a ball.

This essay is going to destroy me, you thought. You dropped your pencil, held your head in your hands, and groaned with exasperation. Then, you leaned back in your chair and stretched your aching back. The pain told you that you had been sitting for far too long, but you couldn't help it. This essay had to be finished, but writer's block would not allow it. You leaned back further in the chair so that you balanced on its two back legs. Suddenly, something hit you in the back of the head, and it startled you so much that you almost fell backward.

"Ah!" you gasped, grabbing hold of the desk and pulling yourself upright again. What was that? You scanned the floor around you and soon found your answer. It was a grape. Behind you, someone laughed. You lifted your gaze to your bedroom doorway. Michael stood there, wearing a white V-neck shirt, black slacks, and a mischievous smile. He held a vine of grapes in his hand, and he picked one off and popped it into his mouth. You smiled up at him. "What was that for?"

"You've been working for so long!" he moaned. "It's boring without you." He walked over to you and peered over your shoulder at the papers on your desk. "How's the essay coming?" Immediately, you covered the pages with your hands.

"Don't read it. It's so terrible, it's embarrassing." Michael's eyes widened with surprise, but he grinned in understanding. You had always been hard on yourself.

"I'm sure it's not that bad, but I won't read it if you don't want me to." He ran his fingers through your hair and his hands found their way to your shoulders. He massaged your tense muscles, and you leaned into his touch. "I think you could use a break," he said. "There's this place I've been meaning to show you."

"What kind of place?" you asked.

"It's a surprise! Come on, let's go. I promise we won't be gone long."

You gazed up at Michael's hopeful face and back at your unfinished essay. You sighed heavily. "I have to finish this. I shouldn't procrastinate." He knelt down beside your chair and held your hand in his, gently placing a kiss on it. He asked you once more, putting on his best puppy eyes.

"Please? I'm lonely by myself, and you're obviously frustrated. Let's have some fun." Damn those adorable eyes! You rolled your eyes and smiled.

"Fine, let's go."

"Yes!" Michael exclaimed, and with that, he squeezed your hand and pulled you up. He led you out of the room at a jog, and you followed him, laughing all the way. Once your shoes were on, the both of you headed out the door. He hustled over to the passenger side door ad opened it for you. Gesturing towards your seat, Michael bowed and said, "My lady, your chariot awaits." You laughed wildly and attempted to curtsy.

"Thank you, sir."

Michael drove and drove. Gazing out the passenger side window, you did not recognize where you were. Eventually, you were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded on both sides by fields and trees. You looked to your left and cocked your eyebrow. "Are we lost or something?"

Michael shot you a smirk. "Be patient."

You took his word for it. Staring out the window, you allowed the sight of the gorgeous, green meadows whizzing past you to lift your spirits. Soon, though, the vast grasses were replaced by thickets of trees. As you looked up the road, a small dirt parking lot in the distance caught your attention. Michael slowed the car, pulled into the lot, and put it in park. His eyes were bright with excitement. He unbuckled his seat belt. "Let's go!" he exclaimed.

You got out of the car and followed Michael's lead. He started walking into the trees. You furrowed your brow in confusion. "Where are we going?" Michael turned back to you and grinned playfully.

"Right through here," he replied as he pushed the underbrush aside to reveal a beaten dirt path leading through the trees.

"Oh," you said, and you followed him. The both of you were entered into the cool shade of the trees. Michael walked along the path with a spring in his step. You watched his feet with an affectionate glint in your eyes. No matter what he was doing, he always danced.

After a while of following the trail, the thicket became less dense and you saw the light at the end of the path. Michael's face lit up with anticipation. "Come on!" he hollered over his shoulder. He took off and ran the remaining stretch of the path. Before you knew it, he had crossed the threshold of the forest and disappeared into the light of what lay ahead. The thought of sprinting alone made you sigh, but after a moment of pause, you ran after him.

"Wait up!" You raced as fast as you could. By the time you reached the end of the path, your chest ached. You doubled over, hands on your knees, and tried to catch your breath. You cursed yourself for being so out of shape. With your head hung low, you could not see Michael, but you could hear him calling out to you still.

"Hurry up, Y/n!" he said. He burst out laughing. "Don't tell me that was too much running for you!"

"Be patient!" you shouted, your face red with exhaustion and embarrassment. When your chest stopped aching, you stood up and looked in the direction of Michael's voice. Your jaw dropped. You were standing at the edge of an enormous, emerald-green meadow, surrounded on all sides by trees. Long grasses swayed listlessly in the breeze, and wildflowers of all colors – deep indigo, light pink, bright yellow and vibrant red – dotted the landscape.

And there was Michael in the middle of it all. He stood in the sunlight, facing you. A perfect smile graced his face and his shoulders shook with laughter. His black hair billowed gently in the breeze, and his dark eyes glittered with loving admiration as he watched your reaction. Suddenly, he was all you could see. Even now, as you were surrounded by the loveliness and magnificence of nature, you thought to yourself:

He is the most beautiful thing in the world.

Michael shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand. "What are you waiting for?" You suddenly became aware of how long you had been standing there at the edge of the meadow, staring at him. You rushed towards him and jumped into his arms. "Woah!" he cried. He caught you and spun you around in the air, and all of your worries and cares disappeared. By the time he set you down, you were both giddy with laughter.

"This place . . ." you started, looking all around, "It's beautiful! How did you find it?"

Michael shrugged. "I saw the path while driving one day, and I guess curiosity got the better of me. I had to know where it led."

"It's just amazing," you rambled, overcome by the scene. Michael grinned.

"I'm glad you like it." You breathed deeply and closed your eyes, and then you lay down in the tall grass and patted the spot next to you. Michael obeyed your unspoken request and lay down beside you. The tall, spindly blades of grass tickled your bare feet as you grinned up at the sky. It was crystal clear, except for the massive, white cumulus clouds drifting overhead. You closed your eyes and took a long breath of crisp, afternoon air. You glanced to your right, and you beamed at Michael as he gazed skyward, his hands folded behind his head, his dark eyes studying the heavens intently. You did the same, and it wasn't long until the both of you began identifying all sorts of things in the puffy shapes of the clouds.

"That one looks like an elephant," he said, pointing up at a large cloud. "See its trunk and its big ears?" He looked at you with childlike wonderment.

"Yeah, I see it!" you replied enthusiastically. "Do you see the one that looks like a dragon?" You pointed skyward as well.

After squinting for a while, Michael's eyes widened with his new discovery. "Oh, now I see it!"

You spent hours like this, cloud-watching, talking, and laughing, with the picturesque earth beneath you and the celestial sky above. You lost track of time, but you didn't care. You were happy that you had stayed so long, because as evening approached, the world around you became magical. The sun began to sink beneath the horizon and it cast a warm, golden glow across the heavens. You looked at Michael. The red-gold light lit up his face and reflected in his brown eyes. His black hair shimmered like silk. He was stunning; his beauty could put an angel to shame.

"I love this," Michael whispered blissfully, closing his eyes against the night wind.

"It's been a perfect day," you replied. You leaned in close to him and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. He smiled and his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. He avoided your gaze bashfully, but when his eyes finally met yours, everything around you disappeared and you were left speechless. Only three words came to your mind.

"I love you," you whispered.

"I love you more," Michael said sweetly. There was silence for a moment, and then he spoke, and his words were filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. I promised we wouldn't be gone long. I feel like I distracted you from your work."

You shrugged your shoulders. "I'm glad you did. The way I see it, my work was distracting me from you."

He chuckled. "Okay. But we can go home now if you want. I know you have to finish that essay."

"Could we stay a little bit longer? It's getting dark, and the stars will be out soon." Michael's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course! But shouldn't you get back to work?"

You grinned and placed your hand on top of his, intertwining your fingers. "Work can wait. I have something better to do at the moment."

Michael raised his eyebrows. "And what would that be?"

You smirked. "You."

You closed the gap between you and pressed your lips against his. You could feel him smile as he leaned into your kiss. He slid his arms around you and held the small of your back. Rolling onto his own back, he pulled you on top of him so that you straddled him with your legs. You broke the kiss and both of you giggled. You pressed your hands against his chest and lowered your face to his. You kissed him more slowly. Every movement of your lips was filled with passion.

You pulled away and lowered your mouth to his ear. You placed a quick kiss on his cheek and whispered, "You're the perfect distraction."

Michael smiled his perfect smile, and the light of the stars twinkled in his eyes.