an explanation for explanation sake.

to her, the fleeting moments after they met passed by with the sigh of the hours and their striking momentum. to him, she was the only thing he ever needed to hold onto. he could make an attempt to walk away, but the sound of her voice asking him to stay was more than he could bear to deny. he was scared, and she was tired. she spent her days trying understand him. when she finally found him hiding behind thick screens of delusions and melodies she pulled him out of his shroud and guided him to the open air. he attached himself to her, breath and body. she pulled on his shirt and grasped his hair; he sought her hand and brushed his lips to her neck in the dark. he was disarmed, and she was hopeful. to keep her close he wore her clothes through the day; she replayed the tone of his voice over in her head. she'd take in his frame and note how he slumped with the whole of the world on his mind. he'd marvel at her face and the bell tone of her laugher as he tried to imprint the feel of her confidence in his stride. the blank stare he lost himself in often startled her. she wondered if he was questioning his actions, but he was only ever solidifying his claim on her. she needed to know he belonged to her, but couldn't bring herself to believe he would ever keep her company. he longed to be strong enough to lift her shoulders when her chest caved into itself as she wept. with a night that seemingly lasted just as long as an intake of breath, she felt the tug of his importance in her chest. it latched onto her heart and soul. she felt the worry on her face. he sighed and grimaced with the complexity of guilt as he saw the end of them in her weakness.

now, without a warning, he's gone. her siren call follows him back into hiding; the desperation of her plea nearly crushes him. he removes himself from the world and forgets all he knows of empathy. she misses his heartbeat and methodically traces the empty spaces between her fingers. ghosts of their past flash on screens behind her tired eyes. he misses the way it felt to be worth something in the eyes of another, and how her warmth felt as he desperately pressed himself into her form. still, he forbids himself to win her back. the pain he would suffer in the face of her leaving was no contender for the torment he would endure if he ever caused her harm.

"I don't love you anymore, goodbye."