We sat on the dock watching the sunset.

I remember that once you told me that it was the only thing more beautiful than me. And even then, it won by a hair.

We sat in silence.

The only sound was the gentle lapping of the water against the wooden support.

I stared down at my feet dangling in the open space.

I leaned back to stare at the darkening sky, waiting to find my voice.

Waiting to find the words to ask the questions I knew I couldn't.

Waiting until I could except the truth in your answers.

Physically, I could feel you next to me.

Our arms and hands nearly touching.

Emotionally? You could have been galaxies away.

I chewed my lip slightly, looking at you out of the corner of my eye.

"So what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

"What happened? Between us?"

There was silence. I could hear the faint chirp of the crickets behind us.

You sighed softly. "Things change." You looked over at me. "Nothing lasts forever. You know that."

I nodded, still staring out into the horizon as the sun slowly disappeared. "But what you felt was real, right? All those things you said, the moments we shared..They meant something to you, right?" I felt the urgency building up and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "I was special once. I was what you wanted.." Soon the tears blurred my vision and I couldn't speak. I was choking on my own emotion. Stumbling over my words.

You pulled me close to you, wrapping your arms around me.

I shivered despite the warm summer evening.

You kissed the top of my head.

"I love you" you said. "It matters that I love you. That I loved you. That I will love you. Everything else doesn't matter. That's all you need to understand."

I tried with everything I had to believe you that night.

But a lump formed in my throat.

I tried to swallow it then.

And I tried to swallow it when you said, "I do" to her.

That lump in my throat was the reality that love takes victims. It takes pawns. It is ruthless in its endeavors and at the end of it all, that was what I understood. That is what mattered.