Mona opened her eyes revealing light brown, almost orange, clouded marbles. She glanced at her alarm clock which read 9:53 a.m. If this had been any other day she would have just closed her eyes and fallen back to dreamland, however, that day was different. She sat up and smacked her alarm off. Next to her alarm was a picture frame that was placed down, hiding the people it held. Mona slid her thin fingers over the cold, smooth wooden edge before picking it back up.

When the picture frame stood up, it revealed a cracked face, with a girl smiling plastered behind it. Mona ran her finger over the valleys on the glass, her eyes had a distant look as if she was anywhere but in that room of hers. A long time passed before Mona retracted her hand back.

“Good morning Mina,” she said, her voice had a trace of sadness underneath it. She took in a deep breath before pulling her long dark hair up and securing it into a bun. She headed to the bathroom, her long legs striding through the air. She turned the faucet on and waited for the temperature to rise.

While she waited, she stared into the mirror at her own face, observing each and every feature. Her oval face shape, big eyes, small nose, and pink tinted lips. She hated it, all of it, for it reminded her of her own sin.

“We still look the same Mina… even though two years had already passed,” she muttered before splashing water all over the mirror to blur her own image.

After she was done getting ready, she pulled on a dark hoodie, and a pair of old worn out jeans. She pulled her hood up to cover herself. After that, she shoved her keys and wallet in one pocket, slipped on some old sandals, and left her apartment.

She walked for a few minutes, turning a few blocks, trying her best not to run into anyone. It was a school day so that meant that there were not a lot of people around, but she still wanted to be careful as some could have been skipping. After a few more minutes, she stopped in front of a rundown building with a huge sign that read “Lorey’s Flower Shop”. She swallowed hard before wrapping her fingers around the cold metal handle and entering the shop. A bell chimed as she walked in and a woman popped up from behind the cashier.

“Welcome to Lorey’s Flower Shop! If you have any questions regarding anything, please feel free to ask me,” the girl beamed a smile at her, freckles dancing across her cheeks. Mona just gave the girl a small nod as she looked around the room. She knew what she wanted as her eyes searched the room, and it didn’t take long before they landed on the bright urine colored petals of the flower she was looking for. She walked up to the flower and checked the label, even though she already knew what it said.

“Sunflowers, it represents loyalty, adoration, and longevity,” she mumbled. She reached out to grab a few and as she did, an image of two girls running around in a field rushed through her head. She paused for a moment, her eyebrows curled down as if she had just been pricked with a thorn. She bit on her lip before breathing in through her nose and continued to reach for the dead flowers in front of her. After she bought two bouquets of the flowers, she left the store and headed towards her true destination.

Mona walked under the roof of the bus stop that witnessed everything that happened two years ago. That fateful day, when she lost her other half. She pulled the sleeve of her sweater up and looked down at the time. It was just a couple of minutes before noon, a couple of minutes before the bus came. She crouched down and placed one of the bouquets down on the ground. She stared at it with lifeless eyes.

“How are you doing up there Mina? Are you well? Are you… still angry? I… you know… I miss you… surprising right? You know… I… I…” Mona put her head down as she felt a tear making its way down her face. Her shoulders shook from a numbing coldness from deep within her.

“Hey!” a low voice called out from behind her. Mona jumped, startled for a moment, before quickly wiping her tears away. She stood up and looked behind her to see a tall man with brown cropped hair approaching her.

An identification badge hung around his neck. Mona caught sight of the golden emblem on the badge that had three doves soaring in the sky. Her eyes darted to the ground as she hung her head down, her grip on the bouquet grew tighter.

“Are you alright?” the man asked. Mona quickly nodded her head and turned her back to the stranger. “That’s good. I saw you crouching and thought that maybe you were feeling sick. It’s go- wait…” the man stopped speaking. Mona frowned as she could feel the man scanning her. She then felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Ah,” she let out a quiet yelp as the man turned her around.

“You… you’re a student aren’t you?” The man said as he gently grabbed onto the top part of her arms. Mona furiously shook her head.

“No, you’re wrong. I’m not a student,” she said as she tried to shake off his grip.

“Don’t lie to me, young lady. I’m a teacher, and I can tell that you’re a student skipping class right now! Tell me where you go to school.”

“I’m telling you that I’m not a student! If you don’t let go of me, I’m going to scream,” Mona argued.

“Don’t lie to me student! Why are students these days so irresponsible?! Let’s go to the police station together. If you’re not a student, then you would go right?” the man said as he grabbed her thin wrist and started to pull her towards the police station.

“I’m telling you that I’m not, now let go of m-”

Mona’s voice was disrupted by the bus that had stopped, waiting to pick up passengers. Mona turned to see the huge green vehicle waiting there. Her eyes grew big.

“No, I have to go,” she muttered as she stopped firmly in her tracks and pulled her wrist back. She saw the man stumble forward but she did not care as she turned on her heels, and ran to the entrance of the bus.

“Ah! Student!” she heard the man yelled. The bus door opened and she took a step up, however, she felt fingers wrap themselves around her arm and pull her back. Her body turned 180 degrees and she looked up to find herself just a few inches away from the man’s face. She noticed his frustrated, mesmerizing, dark eyes, his tall nose, his thin lips, and his chiseled face.

Time seemed to stop for a few seconds as the two of them looked into each other eyes as if they had known each other for a long time. She felt her arm lay against his hard chest and she felt his minty breath on her face. She wanted to go, wanted to move, wanted to get away but his eyes seemed to suck her into them.

It made her want to cry and scream out loud, like that day the accident had happened. That day exactly two years ago where her whole life shattered into a million pieces. That day where she betrayed her own self. Then she saw the man’s expression soften. She felt that those dark black holes were familiar to her somehow, yet she couldn’t remember how. She did not know.

“Are you getting on?” she heard the bus driver asked, annoyed. Time had finally started to move again. Mona looked down at the arm the man had gripped and with all her strength, she pushed him back.

“Wah!” the man cried as he stumbled backward. Mona backed away from him, but not before she felt his finger brush against the ridge of her nose, tearing off her face mask. She closed her eyes tightly, flinching, before opening them again to see the man on the ground looking at her, shocked. She spared no time as she turned her head away to hide her face and continued to climb onto the bus.

“He’s not getting on. Let’s go!” she quickly said as she scanned her bus card. The bus driver rolled his eyes before shutting the door close. Mona peered out the window to see the man snap out of his state of mind and stand up his hand motioning for her to come back, his lips mouthing something. She made no attempt to go back as his figure got smaller and smaller.

Mona let out a sigh of relief before sliding into a seat. She set her head onto the cool glass window and closed her eyes. She remembered a boy, a boy who would talk to her every day two years ago. She remembered his grin. She remembered his touch, and she remembered his lips.

“Elliot…” the name rolled off her tongue ever so gently as a tear strolled down her pale cheeks.

When Mona got off the bus she was standing in front of a huge white building. She took in a deep breath before tightening her grip on the bouquet. She walked confidently inside. She avoided the nurses and made her way to the third floor. She kept walking, each footstep heavier than the previous one, but she knew she had to do this. Mona only stopped when she reached a door that read 307. She collected herself, trying to gather up all the courage she had.

“You can do this Mona. Don’t be scared, you can do this,” she muttered to herself. She looked down at the metal handlebar. Her heart shook beneath her chest as she reached out and slid the door away. When the door opened, it was as if she had stepped into another world. The wind blew from inside the room and landed on her face. Mona breathed in and she could smell a familiar scent, one she had missed so much.

She made her way slowly into the room as the door slid closed behind her. She walked passed the bathroom, and through a window, she could see the bright blue sky outside. When she turned her head, she saw a beautiful boy laying on a bed. The boy looked to be about her age. She walked up to him and stared at his face. The sunlight from outside highlighted the deep hollows of his cheek, and his hair had grown past his forehead, almost touching his eyebrows.

Mona set her hand on his cheek, before tracing his jawline, to his neck, and his chest. She then laced her fingers through his freezing ones as she planted a kiss on his forehead.

“Elliot… I miss you. When are you… going to return?” she asked. Tears began to swell in her eyes, and it did not take long for them to travel down her face. She breathed him in, cherishing this rare moment they had together. After a long moment, she backed away. She took her bouquet of sunflowers and placed them inside a small vase that laid on top of a drawer. Mona then brushed her fingers across his cheek one last time, before leaving.