Unfamiliar

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People think relationships end in a single, dramatic moment.

They don’t. They fade. They end in inside jokes that stop appearing. In stories you no longer finish because the other person already knows—or worse, doesn’t care anymore. What was left between them wasn’t anger. It was muscle memory.

She always comes first.

I think she knows he’ll be late. And I think she likes having him wrong.

I passed the glass of water—two quick hellos—and turned to grab the Campari.

“Where are you going?” she said.

Almost loud. Not angry. Just sharp enough to pull me back into it.

I froze for a second. Realized I couldn’t disappear yet. Not until he showed up. For a moment, I was the substitute.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “I’m just making you a Negroni.”

She looked at me then.

“He’s late again?” she said, smiling as if she were testing the night to prove her wrong.

He arrived moments later—coat half on, apology already loaded but not yet fired.

“Did I miss anything?” he asked.

“You missed being on time,” she said.

“I’m five minutes late.”

“You’re always five minutes late.”

I set the Negronis down between them. They stared at the glasses like I’d interrupted something private.

They argued the way couples do when the real subject is too heavy to lift in public. About something small. Something safe. They raised their voices just enough to feel alive again.

Fighting can be a form of nostalgia. A way of shaking the relationship, hoping something shifts back into place. They know it won’t—but they aren’t brave enough to leave it either. Arguing feels like proof of life, and maybe that is a kind of love.

Then, without meaning to, they soften.A comment about the kids.

Something about how tall the oldest has gotten and how the youngest still won’t sleep through the night. The fight fades. She smiles when she talks about a trip they took years ago. He finishes the sentence without thinking. For a moment, they’re not careful. They’re not counting words. They’re just remembering.

“Can I get another one?” she asked.

I looked at him.

He shook his head. “No. I’m good.”

She turned, surprised. “Since when?”

He stared at what was left in his glass.

“I’m just tired,” he said.

“Of what?” she asked, almost gentle.

He didn’t look at her when he answered.

“Not of you,” he said. “I’m tired of who I had to be.”

He left the cash on the bar. Took his coat without putting it on.

“Ciao,” he said.

I went to clean the area. She was looking at her Negroni, peaceful. I think she knew they weren’t going to argue again.

I grabbed my Negroni and stayed for a moment. This time, not as a substitute—more as a supporter.

“Cheers,” I said.

“To the unfamiliar,” she said.