In Autumns Air

*Chapter One*

The green leaves of soaring oak trees quickly turned golden. Once blooming blossoms wilted away as the air grew raw. Autumn was casually taking hold of our desolated town, and I greeted the season wholeheartedly.

Autumn was the season of change, something I desperately needed with the upcoming year. Without even a little bit of it I might as well go mad, or welcome cabin fever earlier than usual. Which was never the ideal thing to do.

Unless you were me that is. For change had come long before the season, and cabin fever quickly followed that. I would be in what seemed like hell for quite sometime, especially with the repeat of the events that had begun. The first chain of events all caused by him.

Damn that Thomas Elliot, all of him. . .nevertheless , I had to move on from that. Had to move on from the thought of him, and the memories that we had recently made just a few weeks ago. Even if it hurt me. 

So I distracted myself from the idea of us. For hours on end, with books, poetry, and dear friends. Slightly dabbling in my old hobbies of baking, and knitting. All to to which lead to failure with time, bringing me back to my heartache. 

School began as autumn gripped us with full force. Class was to start in five minutes, this was my final year sealed in this hell. I was elated for it all to end, trusting the tasks would keep my mind occupied. 

Then I saw him. . .his lanky figure standing before me. His shoulders slouched slightly as he spoke to a few of the other students in the class. 

He hadn't change at all since the week of our parting. His hair was still that dark shade of chocolate I secretly adored , his skin still much darker than my own. It seemed his nails were still bitten past their nubs, his hands still calloused from work. 

I tried to move past him quickly, keeping my head low as I made myself to an open desk. Clearly I hadn't moved fast enough, for I felt his hand on my shoulder before I had even passed him. 

His hands drew the heat from my body. My movement coming to a halt at the slightest touch of his fingertips.  His voice filled my ears as he spoke one thing. "Naomi?" 

"Thomas." I found myself biting my bottom lip as soon as the last syllabub of his name fell from mouth. 

He had turned to face me, that familiar grin on his face. The one he got when he finally got to see something, or someone, after a long period of time. "It's been awhile. I've missed you." I could hear the sorrow that laced his words.

"Yeah, I missed you too." I mumbled the last part. Not wanting him to know his leaving had left me broken. 

His grin faded as the bell rung. But I was silently thanking it with all of my heart. He had just made my life a little bit harder.