Cold wind hit against her face, her boots leaving prints in the fresh snow. Her skin had turned a lighter shade of white from the low temperature of the night, snowflakes fell around her. Darkness was all she could see for miles on. Her coat didn't help her body keep warm in these extreme winter nights.
A few tears slipped from her eyes, a sniffle from her nose.
Branches above her cracked, brittle from frost. There wasn't a sound from any forest animals that might have loitered the ground if it had been slightly warmer.
She rubbed her hands together through her wool mittens, hoping to get some warmth. She stopped walking knowing where she was just by how far she had blindly gone. She went to the low branch that she so often used as a seat. After sitting she let her body convulse in sobs, her tears almost freezing to her petite face.
She tried not to envision his face, but the memory of him came stronger than the gusts of wind that smacked against her.
His eyes, his laughter, his control, his love.
She wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling herself into a ball. Tears spilled down her face, her brown eyes melting, shivers running through her. Her heart physically hurt. Pain echoed throughout her mind and body.
Gone. Gone. Gone.
The word was on a constant loop in her mind.
Memories of past conversations appeared in her head, replaying his gentle words, his protective tone. How his eyes had shined in the pale moonlight.
She cried out, knowing no one could hear her this far off town. It was becoming harder for her to breathe as the sobs continued to control her one after the other. She rested her head on her arms, her chest heaving.
Auburn hair, amber gold eyes, pale white skin, dark lips, his appearance matching the cold autumn night. His memory everywhere.
She gripped the fabric of her peacoat, one almost identical to the one he had owned.
Her nose was turning red, her ears following suit. Her body shook from the cold. She knew she would soon have to leave.
Come back. Don't leave me, she wanted to scream the words from the top of buildings, whisper them at night, cry them when she awoke. She wanted them said, but of course she remained silent, crying.
When her tears finally stopped, the tremors that ran through her body slowed to a quiver, she stood, going back to pretend she was okay, to pretend her life hadn't been flipped upside down before her eyes, to act as if she were becoming happy once again.
The cold wind hit against her face, her boots leaving prints in the fresh snow, his memory in her mind on a back burner. Bella turned and went home.