The gentle song of the bird woke her as it drifted on the breeze through her bedroom window. She stretched and yawned as she opened her eyes. It was a beautiful day. Through the window she could make out the clear blue sky with a hint of fluffy white clouds. The lofty branches of a nearby tree gently swayed in the light breeze. She could make out the faint sounds of children laughing. It was perfect. At least, everything should have been perfect.

It almost felt like the presence of someone in the room beside her, but she knew that she was alone. She glanced over her left shoulder at her bedside table where the picture frame rested, facing towards her. Mocking her. Reminding her of what she was missing. Reminding her of better times, which cruelly, were over. It has been six months now. Six months that would rather forget. Six months that she desperately wanted to leave behind. Six months of tears, sleepy nights and a daily struggle to get out of bed. Six months of struggling to let go, but failing, grasping at the past, and clinging to her memories.

She sat up abruptly. Today is the day, she thought. Today is the day that I take my life back and leave him behind. She reached over and picked up the picture frame. Her eyes met his for the last time. With the force of six months’ of pent up frustration, she threw the frame across the room, where it smashed against the wall… shattering… her old life… in broken pieces on the floor.

“Excuse me.”

She didn’t respond. She simply stood and stared.

“Um, excuse me. Are you alright?”

She snapped back to reality. “Oh, of course, sorry… I was thinking about work!” If only he knew that she worked in a florist, she thought, what a silly lie to tell!

She laughed nervously and could her face blushing from embarrassment. How could she be so stupid. She didn’t mean to stare… but he was something else. He was not the usual kind of man she saw in the supermarket. So tall with broad shoulders. The hint of a dark beard on his tanned face. That smile. With a further sudden rush of embarrassment she realised she was doing it again. He was still watching her with an amused grin on his face.

Pulling her trolley towards her, she made room for him to slip past her in the aisle. She stared intently at the plastic-wrapped cheese in her hand and hoped that this horrible moment would pass. She felt like an awkward teenager, standing against the wall of her first school dance, hoping that someone would notice her and hoping equally, that no one would notice her.

“Thank you.” His voice was impossibly deep. She waited for him to pass, but for some reason he did not move. Time had slowed down to a crawl for her; she just wanted this moment to end. And now I‘m looking even more foolish by staring at this stupid cheese for so long, she thought! She sheepishly looked up at him, and he smiled again.

“Sorry, to bother you, I wouldn’t normally say something like this, but I just couldn’t let this opportunity go. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

He took a deep breath. She had stopped breathing entirely as she hung on his every word…