Midnight, December 25th.

It was Christmas day when I took a glance out my bedroom window. Roads were covered in a thick snow, rooftops and lawns too. Everything was white as far as the eye could see. Just like that day last year. The day he left me all alone. I remember it as if it was yesterday.

 

The kitchen was filled with a sweet aroma that woke me from my slumber. With a tired smile on my lips, I rose to my feet and allowed them to follow the scent, eyes opened just a crack, while holding my warm silk blanket tightly around my frame. As I grew near, the scent became stronger, now being able to tell that it was the smell of sugar cookies and hot chocolate being made.

Upon arrival, I found not only the sweets, but the man who was in charge of making them. A wide smile grew on my face, now fully awake, as I peered at the man in front of me, who had flour on his left cheek and forehead, making the hot chocolate on the stove. I waddled over, careful to not make a sound as I stretched my short arms around his waist from behind him. I nuzzled my face against his back, smelling the original scent he gives off that I love so much.

I felt him chuckle as he leaned in my embrace. After almost two years of being together, he should know how much I loved cuddling him in the morning. I could hear him turning the burner off and setting the pot aside before he turned around to face me, wrapping his own arms around my body as he flashed that sweet smile of his. It was moments like this that I wish I could live in forever.

His face drew near mine, lips pressing against my forehead for a soft kiss. My eyes fluttered open and I gazed up at him, returning the same smile. I still couldn’t believe that this wonderful man was completely mine.

After several minutes of embracing each other, we finally pulled apart. No words were spoken for we knew exactly what to do. We had been planning this day for a few weeks now, Christmas Eve. He went on with his cooking, while I went back to the bedroom.

I took the blanket off my shoulders and draped it over the bed, fluffing the pillows so that it looked nice and neat. I then made my way to the closet to bring out a red present box with a golden bow on top. I smiled to myself as I gently passed my fingertips over the lid. After a moment of gazing at the box, I walked back to the bed and took out the contents, spreading them out neatly on the bed. A white, turtle neck with a black high-waisted skirt and a pair of black tights, complemented by a light cafe colored winter coat that had fur on the rim of the hood and black knee-high boots. One of my early Christmas presents that I saved to wear just for this day.

Smiling to myself, I took my bath towel and hurried to the bathroom to take a nice, warm shower, washing my hair in the time being. Moments later, I rinsed my body and stepped out the shower, wrapping a towel around my body. Taking a smaller towel, I dried my damp hair as much as I could, making sure it wasn’t dripping anymore before placing the towel back down to grab the blow drier and finish the job.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror as I ran my fingers through my locks. I could see my own excitement in my eyes as I got ready for the day.

My hair was finally dry, and I could start styling it. Thankfully, my hair was not long, it was up to my shoulders. I had gotten a haircut the day before to look perfect. I decided to clip my hair up in rolls before starting on my makeup. Even though it was a special day, I didn’t want to overdo it. A simple hairstyle and a natural makeup look were more than enough.

After applying a pink tint to my lips, I went back into my room and took one last gaze upon the new outfit before getting dressed. Before putting the turtle neck on, I pulled the clips out of my hair, letting the now wavy locks fall onto my shoulders.

An hour had passed when I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, fully dressed in the attire I had chosen earlier. I was finally ready to spend the day with the man I loved.

I checked my appearance one last time as I got my small purse ready, making sure i had everything I needed before going out. Once done, I stepped outside the bedroom, closing the door behind me before making my way to the living room to wait for him.

It was not long before he came out from the guest bathroom and walked over to her. He was wearing a black button up and black jeans with the winter coat I had gotten him for Thanksgiving. He looked perfect like always.

I could see the small blush on his cheeks as he gazed upon me, making my own cheeks flush as I tucked my hair behind my ear. I chuckled at my reaction and took my small hand in his, leading me out to the car as I fanned my face with my free hand.

He unlocked the car with the click of a button and opened the passenger door for me. I was already used to this gesture of his, but today it felt special. I planted a soft kiss on his cheek before sliding in the seat, placing my purse on my lap. He shut the door and worked his way around the car to get in his own seat, before reaching over and buckling my seatbelt for me. I couldn’t help but giggle and give him another kiss when his face was just centimeters away from my own.

In that moment, when he looked at me, we shared a small kiss that lit my heart brighter than the stars. It felt like I was a ball of fluff floating up in the sky, or ice cream melting in the cone. It was a brief kiss, yet it made me feel everything.

He pulled away and leaned back in his seat, buckling himself in before starting the engine. I reached over and turned the radio on, smiling as one of her favorite songs was being played. I relaxed and glanced out the window as we began to drive to our first destination. A sweet smile creeped up my face as I felt his fingers intertwine with my own, giving his hand a little squeeze of approval.

I could feel it as I gazed at him while he drove. The day had just begun, but I could feel that it was going to be amazing.

My eyes were full of excitement as we passed beautifully decorated buildings. The pretty lights and white snow looked so wonderful I couldn’t take my eyes away from it.

The whole ride I was looking out the window, pointing out the cutest things I could find, smiling from ear to ear as he just listened while driving.

Our first stop was to drop off the cookies and hot chocolate he made in the morning at a friend’s house. We wanted to give her some kind of present, so we settled on the sweets since they were her favorite. We bid her farewell after staying a few minutes to catch up.

Back on the road, I couldn’t help but do the same as before, admire the people and places we passed by but in a quieter way to not annoy him.

Our next stop was a small cafe. He parked the car near the building before stepping out, opening my door for me to follow him. We walked inside, hand in hand, and stood in line, eyes searching through the big menu that was hanging behind the register counter. I studied it carefully before looking up at him, knowing exactly what I was going to eat.

Once it was our turn, we stood in front of the counter, his arms wrapped around my waist from behind me as he ordered for the both of us. My face grew hot as I noticed all the looks and coos we were getting from other customers, making me feel all shy and lean back against him to hide my face as much as I could from everyone else.

He only chuckled and kissed the top of my head, ordering a few desserts before paying for the full meal and guiding me to an empty booth next to the window. I gave him a small pout as I slid into the seat, resting my elbows on the table and my chin on the palms of my hands. He watched me with that smile of his that could melt a girl’s heart.

After a few minutes, their meal arrived at the table. Adorable red and green desserts had been served with a strawberry and a chocolate milkshake for us. My eyes lit up as I looked at the sweets, hands dropping to the table as I sat up straight. He watched me completely amused. He knew I go crazy for sweets so of course he would spoil me by ordering them today. I was happy anyway, so I began to eat almost immediately, melting in the delicious flavors of each dessert, sipping away at my milkshake as well. He joined me moments later after being warned that I would eat it all.

We spent the whole time at the cafe enjoying our food and talking about other desserts we’ve had that were just as good.

A few hours passed, and we finally decided to head to our next stop. We got from our table and headed back to the car. He started the car’s engine and we were on our way.

Thinking about it, we didn’t have a lot planned. We mainly just wanted to be together one this day, so we planned something simple that would last a while before it was time to go home.

We drove around for some time before parking the car again. We had arrived at our second and final stop for the day, an ice skating rink. We stepped out the car and walked inside the rink, smiling at the other couples and families that were also spending the day there. Everyone looked happy even if they were not so good at skating.

We continued to walk inside, grabbing our skates in the correct size before sitting on one of the benches to put them on. I placed my pair of boots underneath the bench next to his so they wouldn’t get stolen, before looking up at him who was already standing. I could not believe how fast he got up. I knew I was going to have trouble getting up and apparently, he did as well. He extended both his hands out to me, promising that he will catch me if I fell.

We stepped onto the ice after he helped me up, my hands holding onto his tightly, not wanting to fall. We stayed near the rim of the rink so that it would be easier for me in the beginning in case I were to slip.

As the date when and time passed, we had gradually begun to move closer to the middle. I had already fallen on bottom several times, but I made sure it didn’t get in the way of me getting to improve. Of course, whenever I fell he would take a minute to laugh at my poor self before helping me up.

It was like this for the rest of the night. I would fall, he would laugh and pick me up. I would let go of his hands and skate on my own for a bit, he would show the brightest smile and clap for me. But for some reason, for a split second, I would catch a of hint of sadness in his eyes as he smiled at me.

Night came to an end and it was time for us to go home. We carefully skated back to benches and changed back into our shoes before turning the skates back in and going back to the car. He opened the car door for me like always, allowing me to slide into my seat before helping me buckle in the seatbelt. He planted a kiss to my forehead then closed my door to get to his seat and start the car, finally driving back home.

The drive was quick and quiet. Thankfully it wasn’t awkward. His hand was holding my own tightly as he drove, the radio playing softly in the background. I could feel that we both had a fun night together, but I could also feel that something was off.

As we arrived at our house, he parked the car in our driveway. I let go of his hand to unbuckle my seatbelt and stretch with a soft hum. He looked over at me and took my hand back, giving it a squeeze that made realize he did not want the night to end just yet, neither did I.

He gently pulled me close to him, wrapping his arms around my body in a tight embrace. I nuzzled my face on his chest, leaning into him while taking in his warmth. We stayed like that in each other’s arms for a few minutes before giving in to the cold. He leaned back and pressed a brief kiss to my lips before we stepped out and went inside the house.

The house felt warm and cozy as we walked inside and took off our coats. It was a good thing I did not forget to turn on the heater before we left.

I took a glance at the tree, smiling at the one present under it that she had gotten for him. I checked the time and smiled to myself before making my way over the tree. It was a few minutes before midnight, Christmas day.

I grabbed the present as he went to put our coats away and waited for the time to strike 12 am. He came back to me right as the clock chimed, signaling that it was midnight, and she held the present out right in front of him with wide smile and a “Merry Christmas”.

He stared at me for a moment before taking the gift happily. He took a seat on the couch, me settling right beside him as opened the small box. I bit my lip nervously as I watched him, really hoping that he would like the gift. He pulled out a watch from inside and flashed a smile my way, kissing my cheek.

I thought that was it for the night, but little did I know that he had something prepared for me as well. We got ready for bed, changing into our pajamas. I was busy removing my makeup when I felt a slightly cold chain touch my neck. I looked down and see a necklace with a small locket, making me a smile and turn around, glancing at him for a moment. I then opened the locket, tearing up at the message inside. There was a picture of the two us from when we first started dating and a message that read “I will always be by your side”. Not long after, we both fell asleep in bed. I had one hand on my locket and he had his around my waist as we both dreamt.

Morning came and I woke from my slumber, reaching over to find an empty spot next to me. He wasn’t in the room. I made a pout and pulled myself up from the bed to leave the room, while rubbing my tired eyes.

First place I checked was the living room. He wasn’t there. Next the kitchen. Not there either. I began to feel worried but pushed the feeling away and fetched my phone. I dialed his number and waited for it to ring. Voicemail. How strange. He never goes out without waking me or at least giving me some kind of heads up.

I decided to call some friends and ask if they were with him. I got the same answer from everyone, they hadn’t heard from him since the morning before. Now I was really worried. Scared even. I crawled back onto the bed, leaning against the headboard with my knees bent as I sent him a text message.

Hours flew by as I waited with no response from him whatsoever. I hugged my knees, setting my phone in front of me with the ringer on as I stared at it, hoping that his name would pop up on the screen.

Nothing. Days passed, and I still was getting no answer. Friends helped me continue in my everyday life, not wanting me to stay locked up in my house. I hadn’t eaten a proper meal for days, which made them realize that I needed help.

The days turned into months and I was slowly getting by without him. But not a day passed that I did not think of him or take off the locket he gave me.

 

Every moment shared, every sword spoken, and touch felt. I can remember it all. His presence has been engraved in my memory. I can never forget him. He was my only love, the man I wanted to marry, start a family and grow old with. But he just vanished.

I curled up near the window, letting my tears flow down my cheeks as I remembered, my hand holding the locket tightly.

Why did he have to go? Where did he go? When will he be home? Do you even still remember me…?

I have waited and waited for the past year, yet you still haven’t come…

I miss you.

My tears kept flowing and at this point, all I could hear were the sounds of my sniffles in the room.

The sound of the door unlocking, and opening could be heard. I could not notice it for I was busy trying to dry my tears which were becoming too much to handle.

Soft footsteps made their way to my bedroom, stopping for a moment before a hand reached to twist the knob and open the bedroom door. My head shot up thinking an intruder had came into my home. I was wrong. My eyes grew wide and more tears came down my cheeks as I realized who the person standing in front of me was.

 

“I’m back..”