They sit there together on opposite sides bench in the park Bri and Lilah. The frigidity between them giving no hint to the fiery passion that once burned between them. Looking at them you wouldn’t have known that less then a month ago they lounged on a blanket, not ten feet from that very bench, in the late evening summer sun in perfect bliss. Lilah curled up on Bri’s lap reading while she stared at the sky and Lilah with loving devotion. Occasionally Lilah let her eyes wonder from the page to admire Bri’s beauty. That day they walked through that park hand in hand and kissed each other softly while whispering their sweet nothings.
Now a month later the park appearance had changed with the seasons mirroring the change in their relationship. The whispering wind had a cold bite like the truth now spread out between them, the once beautiful lush greenery was beginning to fade like their feelings for each other, and the beautiful leaves once adorning the trees were now falling like the tears they were spilling over the loss of each other. Bri walked over to the bench a nice comfortable place for the two former lovers to exchange their final words. Lilah hesitantly approached with a dog trotting happily beside her.
The dog and Lilah were perfectly familiar to Bri, and Bri was to them but after the chilled greetings it became clear to all three that the warm intimacy they once shared was replaced by an iced strangeness. The dog was shy with Bri, only wishing to receive affection from Lilah. She would not even venturing to approach The once familiar stranger, and Bri’s attempts to win the dog’s affection were met with anxious protective growls. The dogs owner appeared foreign to Bri as well. Bri thought the girl holding the dog’s leash possessed the same familiar beauty as her Lilah but like the seasons the traits contributing to it had changed. Lilah once possessed a charm that radiated from her warmth and joy; however this spark was gone, and replaced by something more fragile like the beauty one would find in a wounded dove. The stark difference Bri saw in Lilah’s features was jarring: her now thin frame, gaunt face, and dark under eyes all seemed to belong to a stranger and not her former love. Lilah’s bright blue eyes that once sparkled and burned with love and joy, were now steeled and searing with the sharp pain she had endured. And Lilah’s usual mane of long strawberry blonde ringlets was now tamed into a ponytail reflecting, the cage of protection Lilah built around her once free spirit. Bri’s beauty had also changed demonstrating the physical toll guilt had had on her. Bri’s dark under eyes reflected her many sleepless nights and her green eyes glistened with shame. Despite this Bri was still beautiful to Lilah in all the ways she had been before; however her face could no longer be separated from the jagged wounds that were still gaping inside Lilah. Gazing at Bri’s features caused these wounds to sear painfully and Lilah found admiring her former love’s beauty unbearable. Through out their time at the park Lilah only had the strength to endure the pain of a subtle glance twice and mostly looked down at the dog sitting protectively at her feet.
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The two former lovers bared their hearts to one another in an attempt to shut the door on their past and move on from their withered, dying relationship. As they did so both shed tears and sat in discomfort as they ignored their natural instinct to comfort one another and shield each other from pain. When the conversation came to an end one burning question remained between the two,
“Where do we go from here?”
Their love was still present and may always be but their hurt would be too. They searched in each other’s eyes for the courage needed to move on from an epic love knowing it was best for both of them. Both girls were weak from their emotional scars and were hunting for the strength they needed. The next step felt impossible, they needed to get up from that bench and leave the park knowing it meant shutting the door on each other. They sat for a time in silence watching the sun set on the park and their relationship. Both searched for the words needed for their final goodbyes. As the two former lovers embraced for the last time they spoke their final words in tear filled whispers that were carried away by the cool autumn breeze
“I love you