The Aristocrat

by Penelope Ward

“I know we previously compared what we’re doing together this summer to a losing game. But I want to make something clear. As long as I’m here, as long as we’re together, this is a relationship, not a game, to me. And even if it has to end, it’s no less valuable than if it lasted forever. We have a tendency in life to judge the value of a relationship by how long it lasts. But some of the worst ones are the longest-lasting. A connection between two people is no less valuable if cut short by circumstances.” His eyes glowed in the moonlight. “You already mean so much to me.”

“Sometimes…” she added. “Letting go of someone can be just as important a gesture of love as hanging on to them.”

I told myself I wasn’t going to say that four-letter word, Felicity. Because it’s not fair given our circumstances. But I wonder if you can sense it. Can you see it in my eyes? Can you feel it in my heartbeat? I wonder if I even have to say it at all, or if it’s been obvious for a while.