He never knew she was watching him so intently. Her presence was so soft and light that even her touch rarely stirred him. He made it a point to be strong and proud, he would always walk tall and stand firmly with confidence. Lying next to her, feeling her breath on his neck swept away the harshness of the day and let his calm and gentleness shine through. Her eyes settled on the softness of his lips and how they fell into a small pout when he finally relaxed. Seeing him like this sent butterflies loose in her stomach. She couldn't always quiet her excitement and often a happy sigh would escape as she stared in awe at the silhouette of his face. Slowly his head would turn and his eyes would light up as he smiled. No words were ever spoken during these interruptions, she would simply smile back and gently squeeze his hand in adoration.
These are the memories she kept in her back pocket and used to wipe away any sadness left from having loved and lost. She painfully missed him, but she knew with life and love sometimes pain is necessary. All of the 'I'll never', 'I'll always', and 'you wont's' faded over time, but this memory was stubborn and sat permanently in the back of her mind, keeping her warm when she felt the cold sting of just being another option to men incapable of making decisions. She was safe with him there, and there he'll stay until someone comes along and slowly strips his memory from her mind, replacing it with another image of beauty and warmth.