The February Freeze

      It's incredible how when you're focused on something, your surroundings can almost disappear. As I walked through the February freeze, I barely noticed my fingers slowly being encased with ice. My face became that of a wax statue and I hadn't noticed. My mind was elsewhere, wherever Morgan was, my fiance. 

      I hadn't seen her in a week, not since she left. I knew where she was the whole time. She yelled it at me as she slammed the door behind her, but I couldn't bring myself to go right away, even though I wanted to. Instead I spent the week playing with the polished obsidian stone she gave me not long after we met. She told me that it would absorb negative energies so I should hold onto it in tough times. 

      Only thing is that as much as I held onto it, I didn't feel any better. I only felt worse and worse about what had happened between us, that it had gotten to the point that she walked out on me, leaving me alone in our apartment. After a week, I had enough and I knew I had to go try and get her back. So, I started walking.

      I spent the whole hour long walk talking to myself. I played out every possible situation, everything she could say, and how I could reply. I meticulously worked out every detail, what I would say, when I would say it, and how she would react. My voice trembled as I talked it out to myself, my mind wandering to the thought of returning to our apartment alone. 

      My heart nearly stopped when the door opened in front of me and our eyes met. She had dark bags underneath her cinnamon eyes. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She hesitantly motioned for me to come in. 

      I didn't take off my shoes and stood at the door. Only a couple lights were on in the entire apartment and the winter darkness had already infiltrated it. She stood a few feet away, as if afraid to come any closer to me.

      “Morgan...” I muttered, my eyes staring at the floor when they should have been looking her in the eyes.

      “Benji, save it.” She asserted weakly as she stepped out of sight. “You know this was all a mistake...”

      “We can work through this...” I breathed in denial. “I'll do whatever it takes...”

      She came back around the corner with something in her hand. The dim light of the apartment reflected off of her wet cheeks as she walked towards me slowly, shaking her head. 

      She took my hands in hers and said, “you say that every time and we still end up right back where we started.” Her cinnamon eyes dropped to our hands. She opened one of my palms and put something inside of it. “But it's time we throw in the towel. I'm sorry.” 

      My fingers clenched around the ring in my palm. My heart raced and my perfect plan disappeared from my mind. It was all coming to an end.

      “I love you.” I blurted out in hopes that it might change her mind as my knees went weak at the idea of walking out of the apartment alone.

      “I know...” She breathed as she nodded, new tears falling from her face like the first drops before a thunderstorm. “But that's just not enough. I'm sorry.”

      “But...” I began, but she shook her head immediately and opened the door, the freezing air surging into the dark apartment from behind me. 

      “Goodbye, Benji.” She whispered painfully.

-Zero