“I kept waiting for the old us to come back.”

Some goodbyes happen while you’re still sitting next to someone. For months, I thought if I could say the right thing, we’d find our way back. I kept waiting for the easy laughter, the small check-ins, the feeling that we were on the same team.

The ending didn’t arrive all at once. It was a quiet moment when I realized I could miss what we had and still admit it had changed. That thought hurt. It also gave me room to stop pretending.