To Five Years of Friendship.

To Five years of friendship. This is for you.

The loud horn blew in the distance as Diane sat on the bench, facing the entrance of the train station. It was another hour before her train was due to leave. Her luggage was stacked neatly next to her, on the floor, leaving the seat beside her empty. A brightly decorated box sat silently on her lap as she looked out expectantly; waiting for him. She checked her watch for the fifth time before she turned her attention to the box on her lap. Everything else paled in comparison as she opened the lid of the box, the smell of only him seemed to surround her as she placed the lid on the seat beside her.

She reached in, smiling as she looked fondly upon the first item she picked out. A picture of them, in church, the place where they first met. He had his arm slung around her, both of them smiling into the camera. It probably wasn't the first photo she had of him, but it had been one of the first they took together. She replaced the item, only to pick out the receipt of her first gift to him. She laughed at herself. Her schoolgirl crush still lingering in her heart. A wallet, one she searched high and low for and spent her month savings on. It was her first gift to him, for his birthday. The first year she had met him. She looked up, the images of that night flashing in her mind. How awkward she felt even giving him something after only knowing him for so long. How she blushed when he said thanks. How she wished she had kissed him on the cheek. She laughed at her schoolgirl wishes before she placed the receipt back into the box.

A bottle filled with coloured water, and his name, written with a heart on the I inside it. It was her intention to give it to him. When she declared her love for him; and he returned the feelings of course. But the day never came; even when the fluttering of her heart whenever she saw him never stopped. She tossed it between her hands, admiring how the light reflected off the glass. Just another thing on her list she never got done. She placed it back, careful not to break it before picking up the next thing that caught her eye. A bundle of photos tied together, labelled 'David'. Again, with a heart over the I. Diane shook her head as she recalled the days when she thought was head over heels in love with him. She spent her days thinking of him; missing him. All her friends knew about him; she made sure they knew. It was crazy; she was crazy in love. She carefully took out the knot before looking at each photo. Each photo had him in it, naturally. But none were posed shots. He was either in it as the main person, or the photo just had his face it in. She sighed softly as she looked through the photos. Oh the days when she was naive and thought that he might have loved her too. She arranged the photos neatly together, as she always did, and tied her favorite knot to keep the photos bundled together.

Another horn sounded in the distance; bringing her attention away from her box of treasures. She looked at the large clock above a couple in an embrace. It was only another thirty minutes before her train left. She didn't have much time left, and still he wasn't here. She lost herself in the couple in their embrace before the setting sun behind them made her think of him again. The first evening he brought her up to the roof. The view of the sun she had was almost perfect. She remembered what would have made it perfect. If he was holding her and telling her he loved her. She laughed again. She never did get over him although she always thought she did. She wanted so badly up pull her knees up to her chest, to huddle up every time she wanted to protect herself. But she couldn't. If there was only one time she has to be strong; the time was now. She looked down into the box, noticing her name scribbled onto a piece of folded paper. A Christmas note, along with the present which was tucked away in her luggage. That was his first Christmas gift to her and it was definitely one of her favorites that year. She had previously borrowed the disc from him; and then he bought it for her. And she felt horrible, that she had snapped at him when he asked her if she had bought that disc the week before. But she remembered hugging him; wishing him a Merry Christmas before walking off. Tears in her eyes.

She swiped at her eyes before folding the letter and dropping it into the box. She briefly closed her eyes because she didn't know if she could go on. Goodbye was harder than it looked. She looked at the clock again, the couple had already left. It was only another few minutes before she had to go. And still, he was no where in sight. She reached into the box slowly, her eyes never straying from the clock. Her fingers brushed against something smooth attached to a string. She hooked her finger into the loop and pulled it out. Another Christmas present. She personally thought it was a bad present given his status and her past, well known, schoolgirl crush. But she hung it on her phone anyway, telling everyone and anyone who gave it to her for Christmas. She remembered she used to smile to herself that maybe not all was lost. At least if she wasn't by his side as his girl, she could be there as his friend. Just a special friend like he was to her. And then the rumors got to vicious and he never stood up for her, not even once. She frowned slightly and willed the tears away before she dropped the chain back into the box. She slowly replaced the lid of the box, all the memories surrounding her seemingly being sucked into the tiny little box.

The final announcement filled the train station as wives kissed their husbands, girlfriends kissed their boyfriends and children cried while clinging on to their fathers. She left the box on the seat beside her as she gathered up her luggage and took careful steps towards the train. She had only taken a few steps when someone tapped on her shoulder. "David!" Diane spun around, only to be met by the same blue eyes she fell in love with. "I'm sorry, you left this on the seat." Diane thanked the man softly as she took the box from his hands. Even up till the end, she had to be the one to do it. She looked at the box, small blue hearts scrawled over the box before looking at the trash bin before her.

"Last train headed for London!" Diane bit her lip, like she always did when she was doing something particularly difficult before she walked up to the trash bin and dropped the box carelessly into it. She heard the sound of glass breaking as she turned on her heel, gathered up her luggage and headed straight for the train. She picked up her pace and all but ran onto the train and to her seat. Ironically, her seat had a clear view of the trash bin she threw her lovingly treasured memories into. Diane stared at the trash bin before the final horn sounded as the train made it's departure from the station.

The first tear rolled down her face as the trash bin disappeared from sight. Goodbye is always harder than it looks. As the sun set, Diane looked out the window, up at the stars above. She didn't tell him she was leaving, on his birthday but he didn't miss her. He never missed her. It was all right now; because as the sun set, after five years of friendship, they would be nothing more than mere strangers.

Good bye Elvin.