A Cold Winter Night

by GianCarlo Biondi

Your breath crystalized in the air before my eyes. Heavy snowflakes fell between our faces. The hot breath that came from our deep lungs melted the snow. I looked into your eyes. They were as blue as ice, a spark of icy life flowed through them. Your blonde hair so perfectly placed atop your head, it caught snowflakes as you drifted back and forth in my grasp. The impossibly big coats that wrapped around our bodies kept us warm. You leaned in, and your forehead met with mine. I smiled in an almost childlike way, so amazed and joyous about the person in front of me. A person whose gaze made me feel wanted and loved. You noticed the pure untainted emotion pour from my face and you matched it. The soft glow of the street light illuminated half of our faces. As we looked into each other’s gaze, the light caught your eye at just the perfect moment, a flash of blue struck a snowflake that fell in between us. Suddenly, you slid your hands up my face, and there they rested so warm and silky. Your eyes looked away, only to be met with the passing headlights of a car down the street. All the while my eyes were locked on to yours. You turned back, with your hands still nestled against the sides of my head, and you leaned in. Our warm lips came closer and closer. I could feel your radiant breath on my face. You stopped, looked at me, and squeezed your hands against my head. You let out a mischievous laugh. As soon as the last bit of crystalline breath left your mouth, you whipped your head around, the thick snowflakes breaking as your face cut through the air. All in one motion, your body swiftly left mine, and you began to run. Each footstep sank into the snow, creating a trail for me to follow. My body was so in tune with yours, it was pulled by your motion. You let out a boyish laugh as you were amazed by the beauty of the cold night.

Our bodies locked in orbit of each other. I quickly and swiftly followed you and your trail into the middle of the street. I saw you, but not with my eyes. I saw blissful euphoria that was your soul. And, in that moment, I felt truly happy for the first time in a long time. I stood on the curb as you made your way out into the middle of the street. Now, bathed in the beautiful amber glow of the streetlight, the snow caught in your perfectly trimmed beard. Your eyes met mine, the green and blue clashing, and, as if I knew what you were going to do next, I paused. A smile grew from ear to ear, and you let out a soft yet playful, “come here. Your arms opened, and as a dog beckoned to the call of their owner, I ran to you. Building momentum as a flurry of snow winded around me, each step

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was helped by the gravity we exerted on one another. As I grew closer to you, my arms opened wide, and the endless journey from the curb to the middle of the street was finally over. I crashed into you with the full force of our bodies connecting. We fell to the ground, grasping each other in an endless embrace. The snow was dense enough to break our fall. We laid there, in the open, that night. The only other thing that kept our company was a large pine tree that loomed above us, and a cold ground below us. My hand reached for your face, you smiled, and our eyes locked again. My fingers worked their way across your face and around to the back of your head. Each little bristle of hair met a nerve in my fingers, eventually electrifying my whole hand. My hand reached the perfect spot on the back of your head, where it rested comfortably. That’s when we connected, a deep force reached into our hearts and stoked the ember that burned for each other. At that moment, I pulled you in close, our eyes closing and our lips gently touching for the first time in what felt like an eternity. A kiss to cement a love boundless within the confines of reality. I was truly happy. As I pulled away all I could feel was a cold emptiness. ***

I roll over in my bed, the sheets suffocating me in a horrid embrace. I drift back to reality and there I lay. In my room, only wishing that you were real, out there, somewhere for me to love, for me to live.