Harper
They weep together, standing outside the house they’d once made into a home together, stifling their sorrow for the benefit of their son. It is a pain unlike anything he’s ever known. At least she is whole and alive in his arms, not so great a loss as what could have been borne. It is a small, but deeply meaningful mercy. She may not stay at his side, but she will live on.
He nods mutely against her shoulder. Maeve, for all he loves her, cannot replace Phoebe. They are different women, and occupy different places of his heart. He prays that Phoebe will find someone who can show her the same. That they need not replace Harper in her heart, but show her she can love and be loved many times over.
They both look a mess, and Harper’s smile is a shattered thing, but he musters it for her sake. He does not trust himself to hold her face in his hands, so instead he merely tucks her hair behind her ear. If he lingers, it’s only for them to know. “Always. I was your friend long before I loved you, and I always will be.” But as she said: in time. Time that can only begin by letting her go, letting their paths diverge to different lands and new chapters, starting here and now.
He nods mutely against her shoulder. Maeve, for all he loves her, cannot replace Phoebe. They are different women, and occupy different places of his heart. He prays that Phoebe will find someone who can show her the same. That they need not replace Harper in her heart, but show her she can love and be loved many times over.
They both look a mess, and Harper’s smile is a shattered thing, but he musters it for her sake. He does not trust himself to hold her face in his hands, so instead he merely tucks her hair behind her ear. If he lingers, it’s only for them to know. “Always. I was your friend long before I loved you, and I always will be.” But as she said: in time. Time that can only begin by letting her go, letting their paths diverge to different lands and new chapters, starting here and now.
I am water - soft enough to offer life
tough enough to drown it away
tough enough to drown it away
