Rani sits legs crossed and facing me, and we talk without words, singing rhythms in silence to each other that become color in our minds, blues, vivid greens, shades of sunrise, and a dab of red. We play this game of peering eyes to eyes for at least an hour, maybe forever.

A pure silver with reflections of a hue we have promised never to define weaves into my eyes and its light refracts across the realness of her. I blink. A smile lifts across her.

"I almost lost you because I thought I had to believe in you,” I say, hugging her.

"Sometimes your soul needs to make mistakes,” she says.