A shiver runs down my spine as a winter breeze brushes past my figure, enveloping my body in a blanket of chill cold. A cloud of carbon dioxide floats away into the sky with every breath I exhale, lips quivering, teeth chattering. The sky is dotted with pale clouds in the early brinks of dawn, the sun just barely peaking out of the horizon, painting the waking sky with mellow blues, drained purples, and soft oranges. Winter mornings - so calm, yet so damn cold.

I shrink as far as I could into my coat, barely suitable for the winter conditions, stuffing my hands into the pockets conveniently sown onto the sides. The bus stop was rather barren at this time of day, life just barely awakening around me as the sun continues to creep up further the sky. Birds yawn, and cars hum off in the distance, noises echoing around the environment. I let another shiver run through my body violently, sighing deeply as the cold continued to penetrate my every fiber.

I close my eyes as seconds mentally ticked away in my mind. I could feel the cold ebbing into the crevices of my body, penetrating my skin and pricking at the cavern of my chest. I bite my lip as I will it away, huddling into myself as best as I could in the winter morning. Fuck this cold, fuck it to hell and back.

I feel a click register within the caverns of my subconscious thought, and before I know it, I open my eyes to sunny afternoons, grassy fields, and boisterous chatter.

Warmth bathes me; it welcomes me with open arms as warmth, happiness, and joy delves into my every pore. It is pure bliss and ecstasy, a welcome escape from the damned cold. I observe my surroundings; students were lounging about on the open field of what appears to be a courtyard, some chattering, some running about in playful banter. My heart swells at the image - it appears I had landed back into the summers of my middle school years.

Upon recognition, I hear a shrill scream of my name. I turn and grin as I spot my circle of friends (past friends) sitting about in a neat circle under a sapling, its leaves barely providing any convenient shade. I could not help but let a laugh out under my breath as I race to join them in their merriment.

I stop in my tracks as a figure flashes in the corner of my eyes. I feel the grin fade from my visage, eyes widening - out of shock or happiness, I honestly did not know. It did not really matter anyway, because yes, it was him.

A tidal wave of warmth floods my every system - it was nothing that the summer sun could compete with, for he was the sun itself. My chest swells with an overload of emotions, possessing a certain lightness to it the more I stared, and I could feel the breath escape from me as I saw a smile growing on his face.

A smile that rivals the radiance of the sun, a smile that defines the very season of summer - oh, how I have miss such a smile.

Yet with another blink of an eye, warmth is immediately flushed away from my every pore, brutal coldness overwhelming my senses. I blink once, twice, thrice, only to find myself alone in the barren, empty, drained, streets, standing upon the concrete bus stop. Not even a minute had passed. I sigh once more as another winter breeze attacks my figure.

The only warmth I could feel at the moment was the brief heat of the single tear that ran down my cheek, its temperature reminding me of everything that was and now was not.

Oh, how I hated winter.