Cho Chang wants You.
The golden foliage leaves the hands of time as autumn fades away, and a delicate ice crystal, quickly liquefied at the slightest touch, falls from the sky.
Its brethren soon join in, waltzing in the air to a music symphony orchestrated by the wind, dancing around the girl sitting by the lake, completely oblivious to the crystal flurry.
The girl sits while crystalline tears descend from her eyes, the manila parchment remaining fleetingly and ephemerally forgotten by her side.
Ornate calligraphy embellishes the leaf, words of time frozen and captured in a simple paragraph of innocence, passion, and love.
He sits down beside her, the parchment lingering unnoticed between them, the heavens besmirched with clouds grey as steel, and the trees covered in arctic ice glistening from the white.
"It is a lovely afternoon," he says while gently pushing a lock of her charcoal black hair, smooth and silky to the touch, behind her delicately small ear.
She turns to look at him, amber brown eyes meeting his, and simply bites her lip, cold and chapped from the breeze, warily, afraid of what to say.
"What do you want for Christmas?" he inquires while staring into her eyes; She turns and stands, prepared to leave, pausing only to whisper the words she dreamed that she could say, "I want you."
He sat on the cold granite bench, perplexed at the events that had taken place, glancing down only for a second, enough time to notice the leaflet she had left behind.
His hands tentatively seize the paper, unfolding it delicately as to not break the parchment. The words adorning the parchment only interrupted by the faintest splotch of running ink, the only evidence left behind from her tears.
Dear boy, I need you, I want you more than I can bear to stand, this I do not question, and yet every night when I lay in bed the only face I see is yours, only a passing image in my mind.
How I want to be by your side everyday for eternity, no matter what happens, no matter what they say or do, always comforted knowing that it will always be just us two.
How I long to be the only one that you embrace in the hours of darkness, and for you to stay with me in the early hours of the dawn watching the sun cast rainbows of light upon our bed.
Dear boy, I want to grow old with you and our children, our little angels of innocence and delight, and reside in a world where we will not have to lose sleep or fret about what they say or if our children are safe and sound.
How I want you to need me more than air itself, to weep at the concept of my bereavement, to acknowledge us, together, in front of the world, and laugh at those who say we will falter and fail.
How I long to lay next to you, our hearts beating as one, entwined tighter through time until they are incessantly together, and look up at you and know that there is no other place you would rather be than with me.
Dear boy, you know who you are, there is no reason to play coy, whisper words of denial or take flight and flee at the prospect of affection, and there is no excuse to pretend you don't know just who I am.
How I want you to take me by the hand, show me off to the world, and never once deny that we are together.
How I long for those envious looks from other girls, jealous because I am the woman on your arm, with glares that could kill.
My dear silly boy, I love you, I always will.
He sat gazing at the letter disbelief dancing in his eyes, until the corners of his lips rose slightly and a smile materialized on his face.
Forcing the parchment into his pocket, he abruptly stood from the bench, sprinting up the mound only stopping until he reached her side.
Like lightning in the sky, Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he cautiously and benevolently reached out and seized her petite hand.
Leaning in close without an ounce of fear, he whispered two small words into her ear, "Merry Christmas."