It was cold.

 

It was so cold that I could see the red blossoming at the tip of her nose and the apples of her beautiful cheeks. I knew my face mirrored hers. I could never be as beautiful, though. My blotchy and crimson could never rival the flowers on her face that had come alive merely by the touch of the wind. Her skin was so warm that in the cold of March it seemed as if May had come early. The flowers had bloomed for her only, and I was only there by chance, to see the miracle of what her presence could ignite.

 

It was so cold that we had to hide under a gazebo to hide from both the biting March air and the heavy pour of rain. Although we were protected by the potential of getting completely soaked, the weather was still as bone-chilling as before. 

 

It was so cold that, from the corner of my eye, I could see the small clouds of air I let out with each heavy breath. I could see her breath as well. I could only watch as the smoke from her lips bled into the atmosphere. 

 

I wanted to be with her. Be by her, always. The thought made my heart hammer against my ribs so fast it rivaled the rhythm of the rain around us. It was wrong. I had never felt this way. She was a friend — she was a girl. 

 

She was a girl. I was a girl. We simply couldn’t. 

 

It had seemed as if the rain couldn’t get any worse, but it did. She raised her hand – soft and supple, like everything about her – and settled it on my cheek. Suddenly the rain intensified, and so did the beat of my heart. It seemed impossible, but it was as if my heart would rip out of its confines and land right into the palm of her hand. The palm that held my cheek. My cheek that was blotchy and wrong. My cheek that wasn't worthy of her hot touch. 

 

“You’re beautiful.”

 

I don’t know which one of us spoke it. The caress of her fingers made everything seem impossible. I didn’t know where I started and she ended. I wanted to stay there forever, crawl into her skin and sink into her. As soon as the words were uttered though, her hand slipped away. 

 

Suddenly my ears exploded. The previous warmth she provided on my face turned into ice. My heart slipped right out, just as I had expected. The rain was suddenly in me, pouring and murking up my blood. It pained me, inside and out, All previous thoughts and reservations slipped back and I moved forward. I wasn’t aware of my actions, the rain pushing me onto her lips. 

 

Relief washed over me. 

 

Suddenly I wasn’t blotchy and ugly. I was beautiful and warm and content, because I was with the essence of the very word. 

 

I realized May wasn't around her, it was within me. She was my May, my June, my September and my January. She was my everything. 

 

As the rain subsided and the sun rose, it illuminated the scenery with a mix of colors. 

 

A mix of her and I. 

 

Us. 

 

And suddenly, it was warm.