We were always meant to say goodbye...
It was like the unexpected twist at the end of a movie. The DR girl. As soon as he mentioned her, it all clicked. The memories came flooding back, and I was stunned by the sheer volume of information my mind had repressed over the past year. The extent of my own self deception was truly shocking, and I was rendered speechless. I couldn't help but laugh. The mind, it appears, is a strange thing... and not without its defense mechanisms.
I recalled vividly the night at the park when he first told me about her, how she was there in his moment of weakness, and how hard he fell for her. The pain, on hearing those words, was excruciating. Even after all these years, he's never let his guard down around me. Yet in a few short days, she was able to touch his heart. It had been two years since his DR trip, but she still haunted his dreams. She must be special indeed... and I berated him for not pursuing her. I couldn't understand how he could sit idly by while love slipped through his hands.
There is another. Someone who is, by his accounts, quite beautiful. I'm surprised I didn't notice sooner. I should've taken my cue from the myriad photos he posted of her. But again... I saw only what I wanted to see. He refers to her as "older sister", much to my chagrin. Even though I'm older than him, he still calls me "kid", stubbornly clinging to his impressions of me from when we were lab partners. For all his powers of observation, he still doesn't see me as the rest of the world does. Nor can he see what I see in him.
She is lovely. There's no denying it. And they have so much in common. I remember him saying years ago that emotions are inextricably tied to language, and that some things just can't be translated. I disagreed at the time, but now I wonder how significant cultural influences can be. She at least understands that side of him I never see. I see only the facade. I will always be kept at a distance.
I recalled vividly the night at the park when he first told me about her, how she was there in his moment of weakness, and how hard he fell for her. The pain, on hearing those words, was excruciating. Even after all these years, he's never let his guard down around me. Yet in a few short days, she was able to touch his heart. It had been two years since his DR trip, but she still haunted his dreams. She must be special indeed... and I berated him for not pursuing her. I couldn't understand how he could sit idly by while love slipped through his hands.
There is another. Someone who is, by his accounts, quite beautiful. I'm surprised I didn't notice sooner. I should've taken my cue from the myriad photos he posted of her. But again... I saw only what I wanted to see. He refers to her as "older sister", much to my chagrin. Even though I'm older than him, he still calls me "kid", stubbornly clinging to his impressions of me from when we were lab partners. For all his powers of observation, he still doesn't see me as the rest of the world does. Nor can he see what I see in him.
She is lovely. There's no denying it. And they have so much in common. I remember him saying years ago that emotions are inextricably tied to language, and that some things just can't be translated. I disagreed at the time, but now I wonder how significant cultural influences can be. She at least understands that side of him I never see. I see only the facade. I will always be kept at a distance.