Snowbound Hearts

2.

Aiden

I turn countless times in bed, my mind racing with thoughts that refuse to let me sleep. I glance over at the clock on my bedside table and groan when I see it's only two-thirty.

"Ugh, why can't I just fall asleep? " I mutter to myself as frustration builds up inside me.

After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, I give into temptation and open one of the drawers of my nightstand. My hand reaches for a bottle of sleeping pills that had been prescribed to me previously for just such occasions when sleep evaded me so cruelly throughout those endless nights where every single second passed excruciatingly slowly until daybreak arrived eventually giving way to yet more anxiety-ridden days ahead which then perpetuated the never-ending cycle...

For several moments my hand hovered over the bottle, I hesitated to decide whether I should take them or not; part wanting desperately to find respite within their oblivion but simultaneously conscious about how once taken there would be no turning back since even two hours' worth could leave you feeling dazed upon waking up. Instead, I grab onto my phone lying on the nightstand.

With shaking hands, I unlock the device before scrolling through social media feeds aimlessly hoping for some distraction but failing miserably. I spent the next hour going through my phone's photos and videos. It was strange to see how much had changed over the years - from graduation pictures with Michael, stupid pranks I did with Damien in high school, and a few shots of girls that I dated between then and now.

I stop at a photo of me and Elena together. We're hugging and she looks so happy. In this photo, she was eight years old, and I remember feeling so protective of her even then. Elena to me has always been like a little sister, I've known her since she was a baby and practically grew up alongside her family, her brothers being my best friends. Almost four years had passed since I'd last seen or heard from her. We used to be inseparable, sharing secrets, dreams, and countless adventures. But then, inexplicably, she had just drifted away.

I tried to keep our connection alive, sending texts and making calls, hoping for a response that never came. Days turned into weeks, then months, without any sign of her. My messages remained unanswered, and my calls were unreturned. I was left in a state of perplexity, wondering what could have severed our bond so completely.

As I stare at the photo, all the memories of the good times we had come flooding back - riding bikes together, going to the park, playing tag, the mischief we got into. She was laughter and happiness personified. Why did she stop talking to me? What changed so drastically that she chose to fade away without a word?

I found myself entrapped by the image on my phone screen-Elena's photo, frozen in a moment of genuine joy. Yet, as I stared at her smiling face, an unexpected weight settled in my chest. It was as if her gaze bore into me, silently questioning why I hadn't fought harder to preserve our connection.

Closing my eyes, my fingers instinctively swiped to another photo, seeking refuge from the judgment I felt emanating from the image. I furrowed my brows, attempting to push aside the guilt that gnawed at me. The photo, however, lingered in my mind, a constant reminder of a friendship that slipped through the cracks.

Desperate to shift my thoughts, I continued scrolling through my pictures. The familiar faces and shared memories only intensified the ache within me. Yet, as I slid past a series of images, I halted when a video thumbnail caught my eye-an old recording of Elena.

A conflicted emotion wrestled within me. A part of me hesitated, fearing the flood of memories that the video might unleash. Another part yearned to see her, hear her voice, and relive a moment when everything felt right.