“Please don’t look at me that way.”

He just gaped at her. He didn’t know what to say. She had just told him that everything he had ever wanted was never going to happen.

“How can you be leaving?” he finally asked her. “This is everything to you.”

She shrugged. “This means more.”

He shook his head at her. “You’ll miss it too much.” He would try any tactic to try and keep her with him.

“Yes, I will but if I never have children…I’ll miss that too much.”

He shook his head again. He didn’t know what to do. It seemed he should try going for honesty here. He took a deep breath and plowed on. “I love you.”

She sighed, and to his surprise smiled a sad smile. “I love you too.”

He stared at her, at a complete loss for words, but she continued before he could find them.

“But I love him too. Maybe not more, but I do love him, and I already promised myself to him. I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. In time we’ll both move on.”

“But I don’t want to move on. I want you to marry me, not him. And I know a part of you—a large part—wants that too. Just stay.”

“I can’t, I already turned in my letter of resignation,” she said with a weak smile, in an attempt at humor.

“Damn it,” he said, taking a step closer to her. “I won’t let you go that easily.” He swept her into his arms and kissed her as passionately as he could. She fought back for a few seconds before melting into the kiss, digging her fingers into his hair. They stayed that way for an eternity, and yet in the blink of an eye it was over, and she was pulling away.

“Please,” he murmured.

She shook her head. “No. I can’t. And if you really love me, you’ll let me go. Please let me go.”

He sighed. He knew he wasn’t going to win. “Will you visit?” he finally asked with as much of a smile as he could muster.

She smiled back “All the time,” she lied

And he knew it was over. She was going to walk out that door and he would never see her again, and yet he knew he would somehow be ok.

She brushed his arm lightly with her hand as she slipped by him to the exit. She hesitated at the door but didn’t turn back.

“Goodbye,” he said. “I love you Sam.”

He could hear the tears in her voice as she said, before slipping out, “I love you too Rodney.”