“It’s mine and you can’t have it.” She shouted at him.

“It’s been broken too many times and I can't give it to you.” She spoke, quieter this time. 

“I’m sorry.” Almost a whisper.

“I know you say you can’t trust me with it, but I promise to love you and never leave you. I can be the one to put it back together.” He said in a small, quivering voice. 

She began to cry, it made her eyes sparkle as sadness danced around inside them. Wisps of hair swept along her cheeks, caressing them just as his fingers longed to do.

“Emma… I love you.” He said. He didn’t know how he felt, really. Maybe he just said it to break the silence, but when she kissed him a few seconds later… he knew. He didn’t love her.

They didn’t speak for three days, but when she saw him in the street outside of her apartment, she rushed to open the window and say hi. Once she reached the window, she realized what he was doing. His hands were tightly wrapped around her. One on her waist and one on her neck, laying on the bench, he caressed her and Emma could hear moaning through the window. It was a graphic image. The girl was blonde and beautiful. She was skinny and her tiny sundress was tight around her waist. Emma felt her stomach drop as if somebody was pulling it. She felt like there was a golf ball lodged in her throat. A rushing river began pouring out of her eyes, spilling out and rolling down her strawberry cheeks. All she wanted to do was disappear. When he called two days later, she didn’t answer. He tried to knock on the door. But she acted as if nobody was home.

 She decided to risk it a few days later and went out to the store, because she ran out of food. As she was walking to the corner market, somebody began to approach her. It was a man, probably her age, and he was tall. He was wearing a black mock neck sweater and jeans, even though it was the middle of spring. His hair was neatly combed and hanging down, almost covering his eyes. He was holding something. As he got closer, she could see that it was a rose. Not just a rose. It was a bouquet of flowers with a perimeter of pink tulips, right next to them were yellow daffodils, and then in the middle was a beautiful, dazzling white rose. She had no idea who he was, but he began to shout for her to stop. She stopped and waited for him to catch up. 

“Hi.” He began. 

“These were going to be for my girlfriend, but she stood me up, so I decided I am going to give them to the most beautiful girl I see.”

He handed her the beautiful bouquet of flowers, and she smelled them. They smelled like a perfume that would be worn by an elegant lady in an enchanted castle. 

She didn’t know how to thank him, but before she could, he was gone. She went home and put the flowers in a cup with water, because she didn’t have a vase.

 Flowers. A beautiful gift that lasts one week. A perfect representation of her relationship with William. She didn’t see him for a while after that encounter. She decided to call him, because he wrote his number on the wrapping for the flowers. No answer. It was an excruciating two weeks and he didn’t answer once.

She picked up the phone and felt the familiar shape in her hand. Just the feeling of it made her sad. She dialed his number and heard the ring in her ear. He answered this time. Before she even began to speak, he invited her to go to a drive-in movie with him. She said yes, but proceeded  to yell at him and ask him why he hadn't answered. He didn't have an answer for her that he could justify. She didn't want to go to the movie with him, but she had already told him she was going to.

She realized it was only 5:00 and the movie starts at ten. She read a book and by the time she finished it was already nine. She decided she needed to get ready. She heated the curling iron, and began to curl her hair. She picked out a short dress that was made of a lovely pink silky fabric, and fit her perfectly. It was nowhere near the beauty of some of her other dresses, but it will be perfect for tonight.

He showed up fifteen minutes later. She couldn’t get over how handsome he was. His eyes sparkled, and his smile beamed like the radiant sun on a hot summer day. She walked with him to his car. It was a beautiful red Austin Healey 3000. It had amazing leather seats and an old thin steering wheel. He opened the door for her like a distinguished man. She couldn´t stop staring into those dazzling eyes. They put her in a trance that she couldn't escape from. His hair was like melted chocolate, so rich she could taste it in her mouth.  

It was already dark by the time they arrived and the previews were playing. They decided to walk to the shop to go to the restroom and grab some snacks. Whenever she came back out of the restroom, she saw him with another girl. He had her pinned on the wall, and it was yet another image that she didn’t want to see. She ran out of the store and ran until she couldn't keep going. Her legs were numb and so was everything else. She was only 4 blocks away from home so she walked the rest of the way. 

When she arrived home, the wilted flowers greeted her in the kitchen, which served as a reminder that it was over. Anything that has a beginning also has an end. And this was it.