You see that girl that I love? You know, that one - the one walking with her head high with a smile that's so sure of herself and her eyes, twinkling and mysterious?

I can't really tell you when I fell in love with her. Hell, I can't even be really sure when she first caught my attention. It's crazy, I know.

I can assure you, though, it was not love at first sight, nor was it the 'like' that blossomed into 'love'. It wasn't even that weird kind of dislike that slowly, surprisingly, turns into love - you know, the kind that strikes faster than lightning, leaving wounds deeper than a shark attack.

Perhaps, at first, the best I could feel for her was a mild amusement and a grudging admiration. The way she walked was so different from anyone I have ever met before - so confident and self-assured. The way she laughed was like listening to echoes of my past - happy, trouble-free, innocent. The way she grinned, so cocky that it irritated me. To some extent, she kept on being a fixture in my life without even trying, not even noticing it.

Then, there was one morning when we walked together: her, on her way to living her own life, and me, just waiting around for my own to start. It was then that we walked together, that cold and clear morning, and we talked. About nothing, about everything.

She told me silly little things about her life, and I smiled and listened and walked beside her. It seemed to be a long walk, while in truth, it took no more than ten minutes. Her words meant nothing to her, I knew; just a way to fill up the silence of that cold and clear morning. But those words washed over and around me, and I could feel myself drowning in them.

Every step seemed to matter and everything seemed to spin around me, blending into a kaleidescope of color and sound and all I could think about was her. Her scent. Her smile. Her words. Her eyes. Her laughter. Her.

And when we stopped and all the "goodbyes" and "take cares" had been said, she turned to go. And as she walked away, it was then that I knew.

It was then that I could think of nothing more that I wanted than to love this girl with her cocky smile, her mysterious eyes, and every other thing that my addled mind has forgotten at this moment.

Love and desire burned inside me like a raging fire.

She and I never shared any more moments alone after that day, though, and certainly, nothing more poignant or significant. Always just a quick smile and a casual hi.
 
And it was then that I knew that morning would never happen again. It would be nothing more than a memory. To be kept and treasured, until it faded like an old and yellowed photograph - tattered, dusty, and yet, able to evoke the sweetest emotions with only one look.

And soon, slowly but surely, that fire will burn down and out, leaving only the small, smoldering embers - the only reminders of that girl, with that beautiful, cocky smile and twinkling, mysterious eyes.