It's been a little over three months now since I packed up my things and walked out of the life we shared. I still catch myself missing you every now and again, when I hear a song that I associate with you, or when I see an old picture on Facebook. You were smiling. I was smiling. We had a light in our eyes that is unmatched, because we were in love. We were carefree, and it was summer. My hair is pulled up in a bun, probably because it was sticking to my neck again. My makeup is smudged a little, and it's obviously that I didn't dress up for the excursion. But you're looking me like a fan looks at their idol. Complete adoration, and respect. And love. I never knew a picture could capture so much love. Especially after how much I've been broken, my pieces thrown to the wind. But in that moment, we looked so whole, and so content.

We lay on the roof of my car one night, looking up at the sky. My head was rested in that perfect spot between your jaw and your collarbone, and everything was just right. I realized that night, that college loomed in my near future, and that my time with you was limited. But I knew that I would just treasure every moment even more, because even though heartbreak was imminent and unpreventable, I put all my emotions on the line to just spend this one moment with you, to soak in the happiness, and store it away for a cold winter night much like this one. I'll pull it out like my treasured photographs every now and then, and let the warmth radiate through my trembling sternum to warm my shivering heart. And I know that everything will be okay, even without you here at my side. Because you opened my eyes and showed me not just how to survive, but how to live.

~~~

I couldn't imagine spending that perfect summer with anyone but you.