Joe

He had read once that one of the worst things you can say to a girl is that you loved them. Those words can ruin it all. He wondered if anyone had ever truthfully told someone that they loved them and that it had been a surprise. He had never told Emily he loved her but eventually they both knew he did. He thought about the first time he knew, it was on the second night he woke up with her. As the damp light rained in through the curtains in his room onto their bed, he lay beside her and studied where the base of her head met her neck. Each dark hair was so beautiful in its contrast to her skin, it would have been a tragedy if any one of those hairs broke or fell off. It was the second time Joe had made a point to store and feel every moment with Emily and commit it to memory. In those long months, spending time with her was like re-living a past life, the exact moment the relationship would end was a hazy memory but he knew it was coming. There were times when he imagined that it wouldn't but it was almost a relief when she broke it off via text message and released him from the dream.