I feel like I've been punched in the stomach. There's a moment of disorientating, sickening shock before it sinks in and the inevitable tears spring to my eyes.
"You can't be serious," I say, even though I know you well enough to know you are.
"I'm sorry, I just can't do this," you reply, voice stricken. "The distance, the barely seeing each other, the missing you constantly - it's all too much."
I nod, grinding my teeth to stop myself from screaming. My heart has been ripped from my chest and stamped into the ground. When I scurry to gather my stuff, I see that my hands are shaking. With anger or sadness, I'm not sure.
"I guess this is goodbye, then," I say, slinging my bag over my shoulder.
"For now?" you offer.
"Yeah." My voice is barely more than a whisper. I chew on my bottom lip, while tears still fall silently down my cheeks. "For now."
