t minus 3 days // but sometimes she still finds it hard to breathe

the winter is getting harsher; snow has found itself a place upon branches of trees, and hazel misses henry, like the plants miss their leaves.

"where have you been?" she asks quietly. 

he is the light in her darkness, and she doesn't feel blind when she's with him; without henry and his clumsiness, her days remained dim.

"i'm sorry. I got busy." silence is their companion, ever so timely. 

"when I get out of here, can we go to a concert?"

henry grins; his fingers envelop hers.

 but when he sees the golden ribbons of hope in her evergreen eyes, something within him breaks, and all he feels within his heart is an abundance of hurt, wounds of the relentless daggers of fate. 

"can i tell you something?"

"will it hurt me?"

"yes."

"then don't, please."

henry finds it harder and harder to breathe. he made her a promise,but

promises are meant to be broken. 

"i may leave soon. and if I do, i need you to promise me you won't live in a memory."

she draws a breath, placing their intertwined fingers in her lap.

"okay."

with just that one word, a part of henry has been set free.