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We crunched through the leaves, fingers intertwined, collars up against the cold.

'That one?' he asked, pointing.

'Sure, it'll do.'

Multicoloured leaves scattered as we made our way over to the bench and sat, Marek brushing a space clear for us with his coat sleeve.

I brought the box out of my bag and opened it. When I handed him an overstuffed sandwich, his eyes lit up and I laughed as he tried to get his mouth around it. We chatted about our mornings and watched the people walking past.

Warmed by the food and office gossip, we continued on our way, still chattering and laughing at the stories. We got to the theatre just as the surly box office lady was about to go for her lunch, but she sighed and sold us tickets anyway.

I walked him back to the office, waving him off with a smile, and picked up some groceries on my way back to the flat.

It was just an ordinary lunchtime but it felt different. Everything feels different.

Now we know our time is limited, no day is standard. We don't say, but it's there. A feeling that reminds us to make the most of what time we've got together. To soak it all in and be grateful for what we have.

Soon, it will be what we used to have.