Empty. Brown skin against the cool glass of his car, green eyes staring into the dashboard, Micah felt. . . empty. A feeling of what if turned into what is, dwindling into what was. She was there until she wasn’t, a shooting star illuminating a black sky before returning the space to its dark hue once more. She was his if, his is, and now his was.

If. He remembered when they first met. The bounce in her step, the spring of her curls, the way her eyebrow arched when she looked at him. She asked for his name. He stuttered through the two syllables like never before. It was almost as if she could smell the fear on him. Her laughter filled the space between them. He noticed her tongue stained red, and the only thing that occupied his thoughts was the desire to be the candy that was blessed to get so close to her. She told him her name, Sage. It rolled off of her candy-coated tongue so effortlessly. Micah knew then and there he’d never forget it. The two said their goodbyes, and she was gone.

[If only Micah could see Sage again.]

Is. He remembered their third date. The radio played softly as the two sat in silence. Sage sat against the window, swaying to the beat. Her eyes drifted closed and her skin seemed to glow from the inside as she basked in the moonlight. Micah couldn’t help but stare. He found interest in her face and the things that made her beautiful. Sage opens her eyes to meet his, eyebrow arching the way it did when they first met. Micah finds himself growing warm, turning away. She takes his hand in hers, dragging her nail across his palm. Every worry that plagued his mind seemed to melt.

[Sage is everything Micah needed.]

Was. It was sudden. One minute, she was there. The next. . . gone. She didn’t leave anything behind for him. Micah wanted to hate her for being selfish, for leaving him here. There was no room in his heart for hate. There was no heart because she took it with her. He couldn’t have saved her even if he tried. God, what he would give for a do-over. Even with a second chance, Micah wouldn’t change a thing. He loved Sage with all he had, and that was more than enough. She was what filled him. His thoughts, his heart, his senses. Without Sage, Micah was just. . . empty.

[Sage was the love of Micah’s life.]