Elias stood up and pulled his coat from the back of the chair. He didn’t wait for Mark to respond. He knew if he stayed, the resolve would crumble. He knew the pull of familiarity was a powerful, dangerous thing.
You already lost the part of me that matters most, Elias said. Staying friends is just keeping the ghost of us in the room. It’s a polite way of dragging out the funeral. I’d rather remember us as we were than watch us turn into two people who are careful about what they say to each other. let-s-not-stay-friends
The coffee was lukewarm, much like the conversation. Across the scratched oak table, Mark was doing that thing with his thumb where he traced the rim of his mug, over and over. It was a nervous habit Elias used to find endearing. Now, it just felt like a countdown. Elias stood up and pulled his coat from