Maestro

by Auden Dar

The boy who not only captured my heart but also became a master at breaking it.

“Aurelia, you’re more than my forever friend. You’re more than my girlfriend. You are and will always be her. The person I love the most. No matter where we are in our lives, you’ll always be her. Never forget that,” Chad says, his eyes filled with promise. “I love you.”

“We meet the most important people in our lives when we don’t even know how much we need them.”

That’s the thing about promises. They become impossible to believe after they’ve been broken so many times.

If the world was ending, he’s the person I’d want to be with.

“Here is a blank canvas,” she says with tenderness in her voice. One I’ve never heard before. “Paint the picture of the life you want. And then live it.”

Never shall I forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours.

Heartbreak is an incurable disease. At times, it’s dormant. Quiet. But you know it’s there, taunting as it lingers. Occasional flare-ups that intensify after periods of remission. I’m living with this disease, learning how to manage it. Own it.

Someone can love you with all their heart, but won’t let you in completely.

“But that’s not who I am,” he tells me. “I’m the boy who fell in love with you at thirteen, loves you at thirty-three, and who will love you until his last dying breath.”

“I don’t want to be someone who inspired you at a time in your life.” We’re face to face, so close our noses almost touch. “I want to be the one who inspires you every day of your life.”

“You’re as essential as the air I breathe, the water I drink, the music I play. Without you, I’m barely breathing. Barely existing. I refuse to be without you.”