<br/>Catherine shuddered and folded in on herself, not from the cold, but from the wounds it reopened and the memories it brought to the surface-<em>Nicholas</em>. She allowed herself this moment to speak his name in her mind only, to feel the consequential warmth and coldness that came with it; it had been almost two years since Nicholas had left, taking with him everything but what she could remember.<br/><br/>Almost two years of pain, nightmares, and sadness. Only just recently had she started to feel- something other than numb, that is. But that was good- it meant she was healing… slowly. The pain that once consumed her entire being now burned slowly beneath the surface. To anyone else, she would seem perfectly at ease… cheerful even. The average college student… a bit antisocial, but average nonetheless.<br/><br/>She sighed audibly once she reached her destination- the Espresso Express. It was not a long journey- the café was just across the street from her dorm, and only then some- but in the frigid winds of Alaska even the shortest journey can seem like a lifetime. She could see the fire crackling merrily through the windows and was immediately engulfed by its warmth and the inviting smell of coffee and syrups when she walked through the door.<br/><br/>The café was small, cozy, and warmly decorated in shades of gold and brown, with pops of green in knick-knacks and plants. The fire brought light and warmth to the large room; two walls lined with bookcases, students lounged, socialized, and studied among the many sofas, armchairs, and beanbags that surrounded the area, sipping their favorite hot beverages.<br/><br/>“Your usual, Cat…” the handsome bartender greeted her as usual with his most charming smile, his voice hopeful that perhaps this time, she would return his flirtations with more than just polite friendliness, as he held out a latte in a mug that was big enough to be a bowl. It was still steaming, the ceramic edges hot when he handed it to her, just the way she liked it.<br/><br/>“Thanks, Joe!” she replied gratefully, completely oblivious to his advances as she handed him the money and placing a few ones in his tip jar before heading towards her favorite armchair by the fire. In classic Cat fashion however, the large hood to her parka slipped over her eyes, obscuring her vision.<br/><br/>She felt herself lurch forward and bump into someone, the coffee falling hard from her grasp, the mug cracking and its contents spilling everywhere. Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Cat grabbed the shattered pieces and straightened up, placing them on the nearby table as she sputtered her apologies.<br/><br/>“I’m so sorry, are you o-?” Cat gushed, removing her soaked, jacket before meeting the strangers beautiful gaze and stopping dead in her tracks, a small gasp of surprise falling from her mouth. A tidal wave of buried emotions rose to surface and threatened to crush her- fear, anger, sadness, crippling depression- all the things she thought she had carefully hidden suddenly broke the locks and sprung free.<br/><br/>She recognized him of course; what she didn’t understand were the heavy emotions his gaze invoked her. Although Violet was not personally acquainted with him, they had moved within the same circle of friends years before. How odd that after all this time, fate would bring them together states away from their hometown.<br/><br/>Her mouth fell open as she tried to develop a coherent sentence, but communication failed her as she was engulfed by the weight of her emotions- it was almost as if it were twice as strong as it was before she had carefully locked it away in the darkest, smallest part of her heart…<br/>