She stared out her window, the icy fall winds whistling through the skeletal trees outside her bedroom. Scratching at the glass were the thorny branches of a dry, brown rosebush that she had helped her mother plant years ago. She closed her eyes. The warmth of the summer sun hit her as she heard laughter. She quickly opened her eyes, blinking back tears. Another glance out the window proved to her that it was still just as bleak and bitter outside as she felt inside. She laid her head on her pillow and shut her eyes again. Instantly, memories flooded her mind. The hot rays tickled her face and danced on her shoulders, and he was calling her name. Giggling, she felt herself spring off her feet and onto his back. They were laughing together. They were happy together.

She could not fight the tears this time, as they poured down her face. If only she could go back in time. Nothing would ever compare to the way he could make her feel. One summer was all it took. One summer and she was head over heels for him, a foolish, young love that she had never before experienced. The jagged pain of loneliness ricocheted through her chest. She fell asleep to the sounds of her own sobbing.

Day after day, week after week, the minutes and hours rolled by insipidly. Wake up, go to school, come home, sleep. The best thing about each monotonous day was crawling into bed and begging for sleep to come so that it would relieve her of the pain of his absence.

Winter came. A thick, white blanket covered the ground outside, and the frigid flakes rained steadily upon the world. She had heard that only time could heal the wounds of a broken heart, but how long would this feeling of despair last?

Time ticked slowly, and her life seemed to consist of nothing more than waiting and hoping, even though she knew that she would never be in his arms again. She wished that she could replay that summer. If only she could go back in time and fix her mistakes, she thought. Then everything would be the way it should be. She fell asleep with her face buried in her pillow, wet from her own tears.

That night, she dreamt for the first time in months. It was summer. The blinding sun made it impossible to see anything but him. He was walking towards her. She smiled. He embraced her, and held her for what seemed like an amazing eternity. Finally, he walked away. As she stared after him, he looked back and held her gaze.

“Goodbye.”

One word was all that he said. The one word that she had been waiting to hear. Goodbye. It was over. The closure she had been seeking since the end of summer had finally come. No more wishing or hoping. He had said his farewell, and that was all she needed. It was done.

She awoke to the sound of birds chirping. As she looked out the window, she noticed that the rising sun was beginning to peek out of the budding trees. It was spring. She got out of bed and walked over to the window. As she opened it, she inhaled the fresh scent of new life. A splash of color caught her eye, and she looked down. A single yellow rose was blooming. She could faintly smell its sweetness lingering in the light breeze. She smiled, something that had not occurred in months. Roses had always been her favorite flower. For the first time since that fateful summer, she had a feeling that everything was going to be alright.