A Piece of Summer

There was the chatter, always the chatter, and the loud laughs and the giggles. Cho smiled demurely and laughed and gossiped with them. Her friends... She had known them for such a long time. Did they sense what she felt? The heaviness in her heart was like pound of lead pushing away any shred of excitement she had felt like it was never there to begin with. Her eyes were glazing over and her mask slowly slipping off as if it was made of smooth wax. The drone of voices sharpened and became louder when she awoke from her thoughts. Marietta had placed a gift in her hands. Cho laughed nervously and almost dropped it as she fumbled nervously to open the ribbon.

"Cho, Cho, look over here!" Her father snapped a shot in a bright flash that continued to blink in front of her eyes even after the picture had been taken.

She shook her head lightly trying to stop the train of thoughts and pasted on a smile as the girls cried. "Open it! Open it!" Her hands shook, she could barely keep them still, the package shook in her hands as if it were alive.

"Be careful!" Marietta exclaimed and placed her cool hands over hers to still the shaking, her blue eyes wide with worry.

"Here, you open it. I'm too nervous." Cho handed it back to her.

"All right..." She broke the ribbon with the sharp edge of her thumbnail and ripped open the packaging.

"Oh, let me see!" All her friends leaned in and Cho was started to feel slightly nauseous and claustrophobic. Her knuckled gripped the edge of her seat tightly and her face was turned pale.

"It's so beautiful!" They cooed.

Marietta removed a porcelain unicorn that was smooth and alive and pranced around in the palm of her hand. It shook out the painted flowers in it's mane and whipped it's tail.

Cho gasped, and began to regain herself, the color was flooding back to her face. She tenderly touched the tiny horn on it's head and the painted flowers. "Thank you, I love it." She hugged her friend before placing it gently on the table and let it pranced around gaily.

"Here open mine!"

"No, mine!"

"Mine has the pink flowers on the wrapper. You're going to absolutely adore your gift!"

Everyone was talking all at once again. Today is my birthday, Cho thought, I should be happy. She could hardly breath. Presents rushed by in flash and the room was spinning, she could barely think. And there was the cake. A large white cake, her favorite, with blue icing like lace around the edge. And after that was done...

"Oh, I forgot there is one more gift!" Her mother left the room swiftly to pick out a gift.

"I wonder..."

"Don't even say it," Cho whispered, her voice was hoarse and her eyes were going wide.

"It is...Isn't it?"

Cho closed her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat. She could feel the tears threatening. She shakily, pulled herself together and her eyelids flew open. It was simple. A brown package tied with some twine. Simple.

Time was slowly ticking and the room was silent for once. She felt like she was on display. Cho's hands fluttered nervous as she untied the ribbon and ripped through the layers of packaging and finally opened the box.

Inside, lying on soft velvet was a beautiful perfume bottle. The glass sparkled like crystal in her hand and the liquid was lightly scented but not overwhelming. Written in flowing writing on the bottle in gold was the words "A Piece of Summer." Cho lifted up the bottle in her hand and let it rest delicately in her palm. "Cedric..." She whispered softly.

"Open it." One of the girls murmured, and yelped quietly when her friend trod on her toe deliberately.

Cho felt like she was in a dream and the world going all soft and hazy around her. As if in trance she opened the bottle stopper. The sweet scent of clean clothes, blue skies, summer, and Cedric filled her nose like a harmony of scents tingling her senses. Like a whirlpool of images her mind immediately flooded with memories.

She was lying again in the grass the wind running through her hair and he was lying beside her as they watched the clouds form castles in the sky. There was his scent again, strong but sweet as she let his arms encompass her and she clung onto him for dear life and she could see her him, feel him, so tangible. Holding her close. His breath soft on her neck and the kiss... At first hesitant but than passionate but gentle. She could taste the sweetness of his mouth again and his chest pressing against hers. It was so wonderful, beautiful, and exhilarating to experience her first kiss again with Cedric. She was smoothing his brow with her fingers and tracing his chin. His hands touched the skin at her waist and held the back of her head.

Her senses were over tingling and the sky never seemed so beautiful and blue. He was holding her so close...so close...

"Cho...Cho..." Marietta shook her arm a bit more firmly the second time. Cho realized there were tears streaming down her face.

"Oh, Cedric..." Cho placed the perfume gently on the table than buried her face in her hands, letting the hot tears runs over her palms.

"There, there." He friends and family surrounded her as Cho openly mourned for Cedric for the first time. She felt like her heart was breaking all over again as she poured out her sorrow.

"He had meant to given it to you..."

"I know, I know." Cho sniffed loudly and wiped her hands tenderly on a handkerchief.

"Cho..."

"Really, I'm fine."

That night, Cho laid on her bed her eyes wide open, unable to sleep. The moon was full and the night was bright. She swore she had felt the soft touch of a hand on her shoulder when she rose out of bed. A feeling of peace and serenity had entered her soul, but for temporarily, she knew. Memories, she thought, memories give you strength. She knew there would be a time when she would reopen her heart and let someone else in. But for now her heart was healing and she was thinking of Cedric and his love. How his love for her had carried on even after his death. She could almost taste his lips again...

She had loved him and he had loved her. She could almost see him again, dark and mysterious, but his eyes full laughter. It pained her slightly to think of him, but her heart was beginning to heal, slowly but surely... Cedric was calling out to her, like ghost, soft and sweet in her ear. His breath warm against her skin.

"Cedric, I love you..." Cho removed the stopper from the bottle of perfume and let herself relive again a piece of summer past.

The End.