His eyes ore a hole through her soul. Why was she doing this? He had never wronged her, never hurt her like those before. And yet here they stood. The night was chilly and she had a coat and scarf to keep her warm. He was wearing his usual jacket. He held her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs against the backs of them. Neither understood why they were here. She took a deep breath. She could barely remember the speech she had rehearsed over and over again last night. She stumbled for words.

'It's for the best. Colorado is far away. A year is a long time.'

'I said I'd wait for you. You know I will.'

'I do, but, maybe it's just not meant to be.'

Not meant to be? Is that the best she could come up with? She knew that wasn't true. For a year now he had proved how untrue that statement was. He had doted on her, cared about her, showed her how very far his affection could go. His hold got tighter and he was struggling to keep himself composed. She could see the internal battle in his head through his crystal blues. She couldn't stand hurting him this way. She pulled free of him and faced away. The soccer field, which was the scene of this night, was empty. How many times had she stood here? This field had seen many phases of her life over the short amount of time she had lived in this town. She heard his footsteps as he approached. He placed his hands on her hips and pressed his body against hers. His mouth was next to her ear and she could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke.

'Do you remember, way back, when I first told you I loved you?'

She didn't answer as she reminisced about the long forgotten memory. They had been at his house, been dating only two weeks and she had been shocked at how deeply he felt.

'I meant it then,' he continued. 'And I mean it now. I love you, with all my heart. I'd do anything for you. You make me happy, and I can only hope I make you happy. You're my night and my day. My sun and my moon. I'll wait as long as it takes, I'll do whatever it takes. I just want to be with you.'

She turned her head so she could just see him out of the corner of her eye. His words were sincere and she knew them to be true. He turned her around so that she was completely facing him. Their foreheads rested against each other and she put her hands against his cheeks.

'Your hands are cold,' he snickered.

She couldn't help but let out a laugh as well.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay. I love your hands, warm or cold.'

There was silence for several moments as they both searched for what to say next. She couldn't take the tension anymore.

'I have to go,' she said. 'I need to think.'

She let him kiss her, and his lips lingered, as if afraid they'd never touch hers again. Then he gave her a smile and brushed away a strand of hair from her eyes. She walked away slowly, feeling his eyes burning into her back. She couldn't think straight. She barely felt the change of terrain under he feet, from grass, to sidewalk concrete, to the asphalt of the street. Then she heard him calling her name. It cut clear through the silence of the night. She turned slowly and was almost blinded by a bright, white light. The last thing she saw was his face, pale as the moon and distorted with fear. Then , there was nothing.