One Word Short Stories

Burning

I stared into the funeral pyre, and watched the body of my lover burn. His death had been so sudden, no one had been expecting it, but I guess that death comes for all of us in the end, and we don't get to choose our time. Now I sat at his memorial service, trying my best to listen to the priest as he talked. Trying to hold myself together. Trying to be strong, in his memory. The last thing I wanted to do was disrespect the memory of the man I loved because I couldn't hold myself together. I missed him so much. Soon the service ended, but I stayed at the memorial sight. I moved over so I was standing in front of the pyre, and let myself get lost in the flames. I let myself remember all the things I had done with him, all the memories I had made with him. 

All the times I had laughed with him. All the times he had held me while I cried. All the times I had held him while he cried. All the times we held each other, and cried together. Our first kiss, and the many kisses following. When he asked me to be his boyfriend. When we came out to his parents. When we came out to my parents. When we told our friends we were dating. When I told him I loved him, and when he said it back, without any hesitation. When we went to prom together. When we had our last kiss. When I saw him for the last time. The last thing he said to me. When his mom came to our house crying, and said that her son had been killed by a drunk driver who had run a red light. When I had sat in my my room, staring at the wall, wondering why he had left me. 

The memories began to blur together, and tears fell down my face. But I didn't notice. I didn't care. I just wanted him back. I just wanted him to hold me again, and tell me that it would be all right. But that will never happen again. The ashes from the fire had settled on my face, but I made no move to wipe them off. I stood by that pyre, crying, even after the last of the flames had gone out. Because even if that fire had gone out, my world was still in fire. My world was burning and spinning and nothing was the same anymore. Nothing would ever be the same anymore, not as long as he was dead, and I wasn't with him.