Before We Say Goodbye

CHAPTER 6: The Letter

Emma waited until she got home.

She couldn't read the letter in front of Daniel.

It felt too intimate.

Too dangerous.

She sat at her kitchen table.

The envelope was old.

The edges were worn.

She opened it carefully.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

The handwriting was Daniel's.

She recognized it immediately.

She began reading.

Dear Em,

I'm leaving tomorrow.

I've been trying to figure out how to tell you this without ruining everything.

Emma stopped.

Her eyes filled with tears.

She continued.

You're my best friend.

But lately, I've realized that you're more than that.

Her hand covered her mouth.

I think I'm falling in love with you.

A tear fell onto the page.

Emma closed her eyes.

For years, she had wondered whether she had imagined it.

She hadn't.

Daniel had loved her.

He had loved her too.

She kept reading.

Maybe I'm too late.

Maybe you don't feel the same.

But if you do, even a little, wait for me.

I'll come back.

I promise.

At the bottom were three words.

Don't forget us.

Emma pressed the letter to her chest.

Then she cried.

Not because she was happy.

Not because she was sad.

Because she had finally found the answer to a question she had been carrying for eight years.

Daniel hadn't abandoned her.

They had lost each other.

And somehow, that hurt more.