Instead, we let distance do what distance sometimes must do.
It gave us room to grow.
One evening, several months after he left, I received a message from him.
It was simple.
I hope you’re doing okay. I’ve been thinking about everything, and I finally understand that being understood by someone doesn’t mean they’re supposed to become the center of your life. I’m trying to build my own future now. I hope you do the same.
I read it twice.
Then I replied.
I’m proud of you for focusing on your future. Keep going, Jake. You have a whole life ahead of you.
I put my phone down and looked out at the garden.
The same garden where we had once sat talking about loneliness.
I could still remember the conversations.
I could still remember the mistakes.
But I no longer believed that every powerful feeling was a sign that something was meant to happen.
