story pieces

4

          As Aiden tried to calm himself, his thoughts returned to Ava.  He remembered the joy he felt when he opened the front door the night he met her, and saw her standing there with more daisies in hand, smiling beautifully.  They had talked and laughed for hours, and it was nearly 1 a.m. before she had gone home.  Smiling, he thought of their first kiss, only three short weeks after that day by the lake.  She was just about to leave his house after another long evening and her hand was already on the doorknob when Aiden uncontrollably grabbed her shoulder and whipped her around.  She looked startled, but only for a fraction of a second, and then she smiled, and leaned close to him.  It was the best kiss he had ever had.  Four months later while hiking on one of the trails, he told her he loved her.  They were married the following month. 

Aiden’s life with Ava was a sweet one.  She filled the whole house with laughter and cheer; her sunny disposition was infectious.  They could stay awake all night, just cuddling and talking by the fireplace; they could talk about anything.  With each new memory Aiden conjured, his heart sank lower.  He missed Ava more than anything he could have imagined missing more.  Her absence had brought on his long-term depression and writer’s block, making this past year almost unbearable.