If By Chance

We have three rules: One night. No kissing. No falling in love. Memories can do different things to alter our perception of reality. Attached to those memories are strings, and each string holds the emotions we felt. They can make us laugh and cry. They can anchor us. They can drag us back when all we want to do is run to the future. Memories dance in the shadows. They cast doubts over everything we know is true. Memories can break down walls and build impenetrable barriers. These memories I speak of; they’re not mine. They’re his. And I see his memories flicker beneath warms eyes. He fights with it. For me, he battles with a presence no longer here. But I can’t compete with a memory. Because his memory is her.