The Last Time

He stared at the perfectly Photoshopped wallpaper of a cherry blossom tree on his laptop. In one swoop, the memory of that day overwhelmed his usual blissful mood.

She had waited for him under a tree that looked like it was frosted with cotton candy. He had never been close to such a tree, but she had asked him to meet her there, so he went.

As he approached her, he thought she looked out of place with her dark navy coat and red shoes, but the stark contrast to the soft pink blossoms above her head somehow seemed intentional. She looked over her shoulder, giving him her familiar half smile.

‘Thank you for coming.’ She said confidently, as if she knew he would. This bothered him.

‘Did you bring it?’ She asked, not waiting for him to reply.

He took out of his coat pocket a small wooden box, decorated with lavish, floral arrangements. She took it, sighing with satisfaction. He looked at her face. The years have been good to her, the fine lines around her mouth and eyes barely visible in the dim light of the setting sun. She did not open the box, instead just stared out in front of her, her perfectly painted red lips twisted in thought.

As she turned to him, a gush blew over them, sending her dark hair flying past her face, tiny pink blossoms kissing it like fairies. She looked magical and he felt the years melt away. Her eyes were alight with deviance and he wondered what she was planning. She was always planning something.

‘It was good seeing you,’ she said, putting her small hand in his and giving it a squeeze, and he knew that it would be the last time he would ever see her.

He snapped the laptop shut, hoping that the next time he opened it, the wallpaper would be different.