he and she will be

His last words to her probably involved "That was fun." or "I'll call you." But he never did. He went his way and she went hers.

He closed the front door, leaned against the wall and sighed. He had no intention of calling her and he was glad the night was over.

She skipped along the street with a bounce in her step, feeling light and hopeful for whatever the future might bring with him.

Soon enough she realizes and regrets. Soon enough he has found another to say the same things to. Soon enough she has moved on and shielded herself from another regret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the long dark hours of the night, in the bright glow of a cell phone screen, the texts fly back and forth.
"Do you love me enough to leave your wife?"
"Of course I do."

Or
"What are you thinking?"
"Nothing."
"Then what's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Then why didn't you call?"
"You told me not to!"
"But I wanted to talk to you!"
"I wanted to talk to you, too."
"Then why didn't you call?"
"I don't know."

Neither is happy here.

He sleeps in a bed next to his wife of a decade with their three children sleeping down the hall. He calls on his way home from work when he can. He tells her he loves her. That she makes him happy. That he couldn't tolerate his real life without her in it.

She swears she loves him. She swears he loves her. She swears she'll wait for him. She waits. She sleeps alone with no one to hold because he is the only one for her.

And he sleeps with someone else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~