Snow Drop

By Nami

Prequel to my untitled work

I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m writing to you now. Why aren’t I in bed, warm and safe beside the man who loves me? The man I’m going to marry in a week.

To be honest, I don’t know the answer. It’s snowing now. I suppose it reminded me of you. Do you remember that day? It snowed then. You walked with me through the park. We always took that route home. But this time, it was different. You were silent and stiff.

You sat down on that bench beside me. The one next to the playground. I’m sure you remember it. Anyhow, you sat there and you told me that you couldn’t see me anymore. And then it started to snow.

I remember asking you why and you wouldn’t or couldn’t answer. So I stood up, remember? I stood up and kissed you one more time. Did you feel the tears? I’m almost crying now, just remembering it. I loved you. I really did. I would have given you my everything; my eternity, but you didn’t want that. So I left you in the park and walked home by myself.

And now, nearly four years later, you’re married. I’m sorry; I forget your wife’s name. But I remember the day you were married. It was snowing then, too. The middle of June and it was snowing, remember? I remember how shocked your bride was when she walked out of the church and it was snowing. She didn’t know that it did that year round here, did she?

But why am I writing this to you? Why am I—a happily engaged woman who will be happily married by the end of the month—writing a letter to the one I loved so long ago?

I suppose that, if I’m honest, I’ll admit that I want you to be there. I want you to be at the ceremony and when the priest says, “speak now or forever hold your peace”, I want you to speak. Or I want to speak. But I won’t have the courage to if you aren’t there.

So I suppose that I still love you. Or a part of me does, anyhow. Please come. I want to give you me, my happiness, my eternity, my heart, my—my everything.

Love Always...

*^*^*^*

The young man folded the letter delicately and put it back in his pocket as he returned his attention to the papers in front of him. He had only to sign this line and it was all over. His fruitless, loveless marriage would be like dust in the wind. Out of sight, out of mind.

He set the pen down after scrawling his signature and sat back, pulling out his cell phone.

“I signed.” He said when his lawyer answered the other line. “No,” he answered the attorney’s question a moment later, “not right now. I have a wedding to go to.”

*^*^*^*

He didn’t speak up at the wedding, as she had begged him to in her letter. And she didn’t speak up, either. He watched them as they made their way back down the aisle and he nodded to her in greeting. Her smile froze and he saw tears in her eyes.

He left through the back way, avoiding the groups of well-wishers and wedding guests. As he made his way to his car, the first snowflakes began to fall and he placed his hand over the letter in his pocket. He could wait. She had had the patience, and so would he. He could wait for her marriage to fall apart. And it would, eventually, fall apart. Then he would be there and he would tell her the whole truth. How he had always loved her and how he had gone to the wedding with the intention of stopping it, but how he had stopped when he saw the love in her bridegroom’s face.

She would either hate him for it or love him for it. But either way, he would go on loving her. It was all he could do for now.

And so the snow fell and he smiled as he drove through the city. They would get their happily ever after.

::end::

Nami’s Notes: So! There’s the prequel. I actually wrote this story first, but I deleted it somehow and never thought to rewrite it.

As always, comments are welcome, but keep flames to yourself. Thank you!