“I’m sorry… I have to go”.

It pains me to hear those words come out of his mouth.

“But…but why?” I ask, tears threatening to escape my eyes.

He takes my hand in his, and looks into my eyes, “It’s not safe for us to be together anymore, love. I’m not safe to be around. I don’t want you to get hurt because of me.”

“That won’t happen,” I plead, my heart breaking at the thought of losing him, “We can run away. They won’t notice a thing. We can be safe and happy together.”

I see his escape ship landing behind us, ready for him to board. This is what the world has come to: nothing but waste and war. I still vaguely remember the old days, where flowers and forests and nature flourished. None of us had a care in the world. Those days are over. We can’t escape reality.

“My ship’s here,” he says, sadness becoming visible in his face.

“Let me come with you,” I say, my voice unsteady from quivering. My face is stained with tears; I’m not ready to say goodbye. Not yet.

“I’ll see you again,” he whispers, “I promise, love”.

He kisses me. The last kiss I’ll ever receive from him: the love of my life. I want it to last forever. But he pulls away.

“I love you,” I say.

“I love you more,” he responds, crying just as much as me.

“Goodbye, my love”.

He lets go of my hand, as he walks slowly to the ship that’ll keep us forever separated.

He said that it was for the better. He said that it’ll keep me safe. But what about him? He will never be safe. I’d rather be at risk with him than for him to be at risk alone.

It’s for the better, I remind myself. We’ll see each other again.

I shouldn’t have lied to myself like that. It only hurt more.