A Heart as Cold as Ice

This is it. This is the end.

My milky irish skin had turned a deep shade of red.

My body was trembling, in fear of what was to come.

I stared at my boyfriend, his image blurred by my tears.

He smiled a wicked smile.

I am going to die.

The date was April 7th. It was the first day of the year with a temperature above 80 degrees- it was 82 degrees to be exact. I was wearing my favorite pair of Hollister jean shorts, and a bright blue tie-dye "Siesta Key" T-shirt that my dad had picked up for me on his most recent trip to Florida.

My boyfriend Aidan and I were finishing up a photo project that had been assigned for the journalism class I was taking at the time. I had forced Aidan to be my model, and he unwillingly complied. We were standing on my back porch, and I was photographing the blonde, tan runner pretending to take a bite of "5 Minute Microwave Cheesecake with Three Ingredients or Less!" that I had made for the project.

"I think we should take a break," Aidan sets down the plate of "cheesecake", and bends over, putting his hands on his knees. He looks up at me, and I take a step back, startled.

"You're breaking up with me?" my voice cracked as I spoke.

"What? No! A break from... this," he lifts one arm to wave his hand around in front of him in the direction of the camera.

"Oh," I shrug. "I guess," I say, and put my camera down on the picnic table next to the cheesecake. Aidan flops down onto the nearest chair, his arms hanging lifelessly over the sides. I open the back screen door to my house, and walk into my kitchen, on a hunt for snacks. I rummage through the fridge, dropping a jar of salsa in the process. It shatters.

"I'm okay!" I yell to Aidan.

He doesn't respond.

I quickly clean up the mess, and return to my search. I open the freezer, and smile when I see an unopened box of the Lugi's Italian Ice Variety Pack. I grab a lemon ice for me, a blue raspberry ice for Aidan, and walk back outside.

I hand Aidan a spoon and his ice, and plop down in the chair next to him to eat my own.

"It's so nice out right now," I say, turning my head to look at my yard behind me.

"Sure is," Aidan says with his mouth full.

I open my lemon ice and dig my spoon into the center, enjoying the satisfying crunch sound of the metal digging through the ice. I shovel a heaping spoonful of ice into my mouth, and before I know it, it's lodged in my windpipe.

I can't breathe.

I open my mouth to ask for help, but the words won't come out. They can't.

My eyes widen as panic begins to set over me. I rack my brain to try and remember that one sign thing- that universal choking signal.

Aidan looks up at me, squinting his eyes in confusion. I'm making gurgling sounds now. He looks back down.

In the knick of time I remember the signal, and cross my hands at my neck. I kick Aidan and he looks up.

"Are you choking?" he laughs.

I'm crying. I nod vigorously.

He leans in. Thank God. My boyfriend's going to save me from choking. My hero I will be eternally grateful if he-

"Don't worry," he taps my shoulder. "It'll melt," he laughs and sits back in his chair, taking another spoonful of his blue raspberry ice.

Silent tears streamed down my cheeks while I continued to try and hack up the lemon ice until it did, indeed, melt.