We Won't Fade Away.

I sat atop the grass the hill which was lightly dusted with the morning dew. My eyes were glued to the horizon as I watched the beautiful autumn sunrise. The sky was so stunningly painted; a plethora of reds, oranges, and pinks.

The air was chilly, not enough to require heavy overcoats, but just enough to make teeth chatter and goose bumps appear on the skin.

I leaned back onto the tall tree that stood behind me, resting my head on the hard trunk. My hands moved to the ground, admiring the foliage that had begun to fall off of the tree.

Autumn was here and winter just on the horizon.

Pretty soon all of the lush, green leaves would turn to warmer shades of red, brown, and orange. Then they would fall to the ground, almost as if they were surrendering to the harsh climate of the winter ahead.

Pretty soon the snow would begin to fall. The green of the grass turning to a pure, innocent white.

Pretty soon, I would see him again. But only for a little while.

My thoughts turned to the boy who held my heart.

John Cornelius O’Callaghan. The fifth. He was everything that I had ever hoped to find in a man. And even on top of that, he was so much more.

He could practically read my mind and all of the silly thoughts that went on in it. All he had to do was shoot a crooked smile in my direction and I’d melt. When he placed his hand in mine, it sent some sort of an electric current through my veins, and it was the best feeling in the world.

I smiled to myself as I thought about John. Today was our one year anniversary. We had fallen in love under an autumn sky. And here today, we’re in love.

John comes home today. It will be the first time that I have seen him in three months. Crazy, right? But with love comes sacrifices. He has his dreams while I have mine. While my dreams lead me to the rush of New York City, snapping photos of various high fashion models, his dreams lead him over the entire county and then some. Day by day, and night by night, he tells his stories and feelings to crowds of screaming fans, with beautiful rhythms and melodies.

We made a pact to make this relationship work. Long distance? We can do it. Love knows no distance.

And you know what they say. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Just thinking about John made my heart race a mile a minute; made blood rush through my veins; made blush creep onto my cheeks.

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, counting down the moments until I could see him again.

All of a sudden, my eyes were covered with rough, calloused hands. I smiled, gently biting my lip.

The person removed his hands and took a seat opposite me, placing their hand on the side of my face. I tilted my head slightly, before opening my eyes and gazing into his eyes; the prettiest shade of green I’d ever seen.

A smile broke out across his face and he leaned in closely, softly pressing his lips to mine.

As we broke away, a quick gust of wind blew by and John shivered.

I smirked. It seems the brisk, chilly New York air is a tad too cold for the native Arizona boy.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, looking up into his gorgeous eyes.

“Do you miss Arizona?”

He tilted his head, and reached his arm out, tucking a piece of windswept hair out of my face.

“Of course I do. But I promised this girl in New York that I would come visit her. Even if it is freezing outside.”

I laughed quickly, watching as the air escaped my lips. I leaned in, resting my head on John’s warm shoulder.

“Well, she’s a lucky girl, then.”

He chuckled as he ran his hand up and down my back.

“Yeah, I’d say she’s pretty lucky. But I like to think I’m the lucky one.”

I smiled and leaned in, pressing my lips to his once again.

He pulled apart and smirked, resting his forehead on top of mine.

“Audrey, I missed you so much.”

I smiled and bit my lip.

“I missed you too John. Every day.”

His hand moved to the heart necklace that he bought me for our six month anniversary. He smirked before reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out a tiny black, velvet box.

I looked him in the eyes and shook my head, inhaling a sharp breath.

“John, what are you doing?”

My voice shook as he smirked.

“No, Audrey, I’m not proposing.”

I let out a chuckle, but tried to hide the fact that I was a tad disappointed.

I waited for him to go on as the temperature dropped even more, nearly chilling me to the bone.

“I love you. We fell in love right here under this autumn sky. No matter how far apart we are, our love is still as strong as ever. One day, I will propose to you. We’ll get married right here under this autumn sky. And we’ll live the happily ever after that you have always wanted.”

A tear slid down my cheek as I got up, throwing my arms around his neck. He slid the silver band on my finger and picked me up, spinning me around in the air.

He placed me down and I leaned in, pressing my lips to his as his arms wrapped tightly around my waist.

As we stood there in our warm, tight embrace, the first snowfall of the year began to fall. The tiny, white flakes covered the ground and fell scattered over our heads.

John slipped his hand into mine as we both glanced up at the sky, admiring the beauty of the season.

The snow began to fall harder and John pulled me down the hill into his car. As we drove away, we joked and laughed, having a great time, like always.

I looked out the frosted window, smiling to myself.

This will always be my favorite time of year.