He helps me unload the last of my stuff on my new door step.

“You can stay, if you want. I want you to stay.”

I hate him for not caring. I hate him for giving up on us. I hate him, but I want him to stay.

I had been his Wild Thing. He will always be my Knight in Shining Armor. Chaos and calm. Reckless and reserved.  A perfect couple; perfect opposites. Our affair lasted a decade. He divorced his wife, but he never recovered from the humiliation of having a mistress. It went against his nature. Predictability and responsibility were his guideposts.

I scared him at first, and made him feel alive in a dead marriage, but when the newness wore off, I didn’t live up to his vision of the perfect woman. I had so much to offer, just nothing he wanted.

“It’s a long drive, I should get going.”

“Do you remember the hour we met?”

“Of course, I do.” He wraps his arms around me─ one last hug. He wants to leave. He can’t wait for it to be over.

“We’ll always be friends.”

The kiss of death.

I love him now, even as I watch him walk away. I left him today; but he left me a long time ago.Flash Fiction