(o) Familiar stranger

Maea

And time it waits for no one
It heals them when you die

In contrast, Maea turned and gazed directly at the man beside her. Looked him over long and hard, and nodded in agreement. "Yes, you do." And she had no desire left to pretend it wasn't true. Or to try and soothe hurts that he kept nursing long after they'd gone rotten.

"I hear your apology, Sunjata. But no, I can't really accept it. It doesn't feel genuine, because I can't tell what you're sorry for. That you pushed me away when I didn't want to share you with someone else, or that I never made it back home, or that you treated me like shit when I did return?"

She shrugged helplessly, too sad to get worked up about any of it. "I'm sorry about all of those things too. I said it before; I never meant to hurt you, and I'm sorry that I did. I didn't go out to sea with the intention of never coming back. But all of that is moot and pointless now. It happened. And all I can see is that you don't seem interested in moving on from here. So there is absolutely no point in discussing the matter anymore."

It didn't lead anywhere, and she was so done cutting herself to pieces over him.

And soon you are forgotten
A whisper within a sigh