He stood in the rain, clutching tightly onto a bunch of flowers, looking blankly at the ground in front of him. He sighed, chewing his bottom lip to stop himself from crying.
"Sarah," he started, his voice breaking. "It's been too long."
He stopped, not knowing how to continue without crying.
He tilted his head to the sky, letting the rain fall on his face. He knew it would be so much work to clean his suit but he didn't care. He knew he had to do this. She deserved as much.
He walked over to the plaque a few steps in front of him and placed his hand on it, feeling the cool, wet marble under his fingers.
"Sarah. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner," he breathed, not trusting himself to speak normally.
A gust of wind blew past him, bringing in more rain. He looked down in an attempt to shelter his face from the rain, closing his eyes.
"I don't know when or how I will move on. I don't know how I will heal from losing you, the love of my life. And I know I made a promise, Sarah. It's my last promise to you and I don't want to let you down."
The howling wind and rustling leaves were so loud that he could barely hear himself speak. But it didn't matter. He didn't need to hear them. Perhaps the wind would carry his message for him.
"Thank you for all the laughs and love that you brought into my life. Thank you for giving me a chance."
He bent down and kissed the plaque, coldness meeting his lips. He missed them. He missed the warmth and life that she had. But he knew they were gone. And this was as much as he would receive.
He walked around the plaque until he stood in front of it again, reading the words carved on it. He took a deep breath, willing himself not to cry. She wouldn't want that.
She had always told him not to mourn her death, but to celebrate her life instead. He'd always brushed her off. He never thought this day would come.
"Not all who wander are lost," it read.
Her favourite quote by J. R. R. Tolkien.
'4 April 1990 to 31 December 2015' was carved above the quote and below, the one thing he hoped to never read.
In loving memory of Sarah Wilde.
He bent down and placed the bouquet of flowers right in the centre of her grave. Twelve white roses. Because she's always said red was too mainstream. It was their tradition. He'd always buy her white roses instead of red. It was their thing.
And white roses will always remind him of her.
He took a deep breath and sighed. "I know you'll never read this, but I wrote it for you, Sarah."
He placed a stack of twelve letter beside the flowers, tied together with a navy blue ribbon. Her favourite colour.
He would always remember her. She meant the world to him. And even if she wasn't around anymore, he would never forget her.
She was the girl who changed his life forever.
And if he were being honest with himself, he wouldn't want it any other way.
He muttered his parting words to her before turning around and leaving the graveyard, feeling that maybe, just maybe, he would be able to find a way to love life again.
And it was almost like the wind had carried his words away with it, like it was trying to reconnect two star-crossed lovers.
I love you.
Until we meet again, Sarah.
___
A/N: It's the eeeend! I really love how this story turned out, even if I procrastinated a lot on it haha. I actually know the backstory of Blake and Sarah. I could write a story about it if you guys want. Tell me if you'd like it!
Anyway, I really really hope you enjoyed reading this. Thank you so much for reading it til the end.
Do check out my other works, especially Voices and 29 Words as I'm entering it into the 2016 Wattys. Thank you so so much once again for all the support.
Much love,
Angie