Chapter 56: The Gentle Goodbye

What Was Never Said

Not every connection asks to be kept.

We once shared the same rhythm — long days, laughter between tasks, a quiet trust built through the passing of time. Two people working toward the same goal, side by side, never crossing lines, but understanding the weight of each other’s silence. A daily dose of qaffeine.

Sometimes, the closeness that builds in familiar spaces can blur the edges of meaning. And sometimes, it becomes necessary to draw them back.

There were words left unsaid for a long time, until they finally found their way into the open. Calmly. Kindly. With no need for more.

It wasn’t an ending to a friendship, the least. Just a pause — a gentle shift from something unspoken to something understood.

And in that stillness, I learned that closure doesn’t always arrive with noise.
Sometimes, it comes softly — like a door closing on its own, without echo or regret.

Some truths are lighter once spoken, even when they arrive late.