What We Broke

by Marley Valentine

“You’re mine,” he says with such finality. “You’re my worry, my heartache, my burden. Whatever you think you are, whatever season it is for us, you’re fucking mine, Leo.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to stave off the tears. “And I’m worried that I made you feel—” A sob escapes my throat. “Unloved and like you weren’t enough. And I will never forgive myself for doing that to you.”

“That night I felt how much it hurt you to love me,” he admits. “But I also felt just how much you did. I hated seeing you like that, but when I saw you at work, I realized just how close you were to giving up.”

My mouth finds solace in his, and like a freed hostage, my heart swells with relief. I want to believe our love is a great love, a true love, but unfortunately, the hard lesson to learn is that it doesn’t actually matter which one of those it is. Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.