I pull in a deep breath, calming my nerves and steadying myself. The fresh mountain air fills my lungs, expanding them to the point where they hurt momentarily. When I let the breath go I open my eyes and look at the small single floor house sitting before me.

"I'm home." I whispered, a small smile curving my lips as a breeze blows past me, whipping my golden locks around my face. A soft chuckle escapes me as I move some strands out of my line of sight. As I do, the front door of the cabin opens.

"Becca!" He called my name, his voice deep and spine tingling.

"Johnny!" I called back as I watch his figure stand in the doorway, just a little too large for it. The sun bounces off of his dark hair and his hazel eyes seem to shimmer with joy and excitement. Two emotions that must be clearly visible in my own eyes as well.

I sprint forward and toss myself at him, forgetting about my bags. His strong and tanned arms wrap around me and I nuzzle my face into his neck, inhaling deeply. The woodsy scent fills me and I sigh, content.

"I've missed you." I feel him gently kiss the crown of my head before he whispers,

"So did I." I look up at him, smiling a goofy and joyous smile that he returns with a small one of his own. "And I thought I told you to stop calling me Johnny. You know I hate it." I untangle myself from him and bend down to pick up my bags.

"Which is precisely why I call you that."

"You're hopeless." I chuckle and turn around, poking him on the nose with my free hand.

"Which is precisely why you love me." Johnny reaches down and takes one of my bags before moving aside for me to enter.

"Then, I guess we're both hopeless." As I enter the house I say,

"I guess we are." The familiar scent of apples and spice enclose around me as I walk into the small building. A warm and content feeling settles over me and I suddenly feel exhausted from my long journey. As soon as I make it to the living room I collapse onto the love seat.

"You thirsty?" I hear Johnny ask and I look back to where he stands in the small kitchen.

"Just some water, please." I said before letting my eyes wander around the house.

Pictures of Johnny and I line the wooden walls. Some of them silly. Others romantic. Pictures of us with both our families.

A reclining chair sits in a corner of the room, right beside a window with it's blinds pulled up, letting in the outside light. A slight breeze floats through the window, cooling the room slightly.

I kick off my sandals and curl my toes into the soft rug laid out on the floor, enjoying the feel.

"Here." I look up and take the glass from Johnny's hand. He takes the seat beside me and we just sit in silence for a good five minutes while I drink my water. It's a comfortable silence. One we've both been waiting for. Johnny is the first to break it. "So," He starts, pulling my gaze towards him. "How've you been?" I swallow the water and place the glass down on the floor beside my bags.

"Oh, you know, same old same old. Work is hectic with the new deal that's being made. Mom and dad are a nag, per usual. Fluffy is doing amazing, though he can be a little asshole sometimes." I wave my hand in the air. "You know how he is." Johnny chuckles and I pull my feet up and under me, crossing my legs on the love seat and turning towards him.

"Yeah, I'm still sticking with my theory that, that cat is the devil reincarnate." I snicker.

"You're the one who picked him out, remember?" Johnny just shakes his head. "Oh, come on, you totally loved Fluffy. Completely obsessed with that cat." He crosses his arms over his chest.

"I still can't believe you named him Fluffy. What kind of name is that?"

"Hey, you had your chance to stop me from naming him that. Shoulda took it." His eyes flash with sadness for only a moment before his smile wipes the emotion away.

"Yeah, I should have. Man, I can't believe how many years ago that was. Like, five right?" I lean forward, placing my hands on my ankles as I nod.

"I know, right?! It's insane how time flies. Our little baby is already becoming an old man. He barely likes to play with me anymore." I lean back against the arm rest and look up at the popcorn ceiling, smiling. "I remember the day we went and picked him out. Love at first sight. He was such a tiny little thing." I look at Johnny and hold out my hands, palms up. "I swear, he was nothing but a small ball of white puff. He could fit in the palms of my hands."

"Don't I know it. You'd never put him down. Every time I looked at you, he was in your arms." I lower my hands.

"I couldn't help it! He was so soft and so fluffy! You can't just put something like that in front of me and expect me not to hold him." Johnny lets out a deep laugh that has my stomach knotting and my hands gripping onto my ankles tightly once more.

"Of course." We fall back into a silence and I look out the open window.

"So, how have you been, Johnny?" I asked him, my voice softer now. He doesn't answer for a long time.

"Same old, same old. Just enjoying my time here and watching everything go on."

"Really?" I questioned and, out of the corner of my eye I can see him nod.

"Really." My smile falls slightly at that and I shuffle closer to him, letting my legs back down off the love seat. He lifts his arm, giving me access to snuggle closer to his side.

"When are you going to come back?" There's silence around us as we speak, the only noise being from the ruffling of the leaves outside as the breeze makes them dance.

"When do you want me to come back?" He answered with a question, something he knows I hate. My hand comes up and curls into his grey shirt. It's damp now, something it hadn't been earlier and my nose tingles as I smell something akin to the lake water outside.

"Right now."

"You know I can't do that, Becca." He whispered and I feel him kiss the crown of my head once more. My stomach knots tighter.

"Then, when can I see you again?" I asked and his arm that rested around me suddenly seems lighter than before. The solid body beside me, doesn't seem so solid anymore.

"You can see me whenever you want to. Just picture me and I'll be there." His voice fades and I'm left sitting in a single roomed cabin alone on a love seat that's collected dust over the years of little care and maintenance.

The man who sat beside me, gone. The man who I loved, drowned saving me, a mere figment of my imagination.

I lift a hand and tuck some blond strands behind my ear as I stand up and walk over to a picture of him giving his big, goofy smile by the lake. A picture I'd pinned up ages ago. Beside it, an out of date calendar.

My finger brushes over his face and I smile softly at it as I whisper,

"Happy Valentine's Day, Johnny."