The Light We Lost

by Jill Santopolo

She lost herself anyway. I wonder if she wanted to.

Or did you outgrow us as you traveled, tossing memories out with matchboxes and coffee mugs?

“She said that she thinks of every romance she’s in as if it’s a type of fire. That some relationships feel like a wildfire—they’re powerful and compelling and majestic and dangerous and have the capability to burn you before you even realize you’ve been consumed. And that some relationships feel like a hearth fire—they’re solid and stable and cozy and nourishing. She had other examples—a bonfire relationship, a sparkler—that one was for a one-night stand, I think—but the wildfire and the hearth fire are the two that I remember most.”

As long as I’d been with him, Darren had never taken your place in my heart, and I hated the idea that someone else had taken my place in yours.