She stared blankly towards the wall, lost in her thoughts of the life she had once had. Her eyes drifted slowly downward and she gazed into the face of a man she believed once to know. His eyes shot back at her with a blank expression; it was but a still photograph. For a moment she believed the figures in it had stirred but as she looked closer she knew this could not be possible. She glanced at it once more and her eyelids shut tightly- a tear ran down her face as she was taken back…

Sitting closely together they could feel the heartbeat of the other- it was a most marvelous feeling. The world around them had been disintegrating and yet their love could not be more profound. Their eyes told stories their words could not; stories of love, hurt, comfort, longing. And though they seldom spoke about their feelings toward one another, they were aware of the passion that was present in them. Nothing could keep them apart; no friend or foe would be able to break their bond.
As the girl looked up her gaze met his- and not only but for a moment they were one. Curious of this feeling, their eyes did not falter- they were momentarily lost within each other. But then the girl suddenly looked away, aware again of her appearance in the early morning. Her head turned the opposite direction, but just so a loving hand could draw it back. She consented and looked back at him- she could see the sincerity radiating from his face. “You look beautiful.” She could not help but blush. She had never heard those words from a man before, and in that moment knew she could believe them wholly for the first time.

Her eyelids opened as she shook in her armchair- she wished every day that she could erase that memory. She had believed in him, in the goodness he had shown her, and now everything that had been said was to be questioned. Did any of it remain true? Did he ever truly love her? She would never have the privilege of knowing it, for he was gone now. He had been swept away with his lack of bravery, leaving her only to regret every day she had cherished him.