For the Best

It was still warm, even at night, and the pier was reassuringly uncomfortable under your backs, and the stars seemed to demand answers. But mainly you just worried about whether your phone would fall from your pocket, and slip between the slats and into the water.

And then there were times when you felt it was for the best, because you hadn’t slept enough, or there wasn’t really a bed to share. So you’d let it get late, go out and squint under strip-lighting, and then smile and say to yourself that nothing was lost.

Then other times still, when you’d lie deliberately without touching, and convince yourself it was cooler like that. There were a lot of other nights too.

Of course, with hindsight none of that really matters, and you should just love without reserve.