Let me know when you stop loving...

They were sitting on the shore, feet bare, just a little away from where the waves crashed. Their fingers placed on the warm sand and gaze fixed on the horizon far away.

Her mind was calm and serene. Her thoughts were lost in the depth of the ocean as she habitually promised the beach to not ask for anything more. She had all that she wanted and just hoped for all of it to stay till her last breath. She could stay here, in front of the beach, beside him, for the rest of her life.

He was sitting, idle too, with his fingers on the sand, but careful not to touch her. His eyes kept moving as if like chasing the waves. His thoughts were clouded and disturbed, and it reflected on his face. There was tension on his forehead, and his breath held for so long unintentionally. His heart was restless. Something kept urging him to get up and walk away, away from the blue sea, away from her.

The breathing started to grow more uneven as his thoughts drifted to the decisions made 5 years ago. He regretted telling her that he would want her by his side all life long. He regretted promising her a happily ever after.

He turned to the left to look at the lady he loved like he never knew he could 5 years ago. The same lady whom he now hated like he never thought he could. Her hair was flying in the wind and her simple sundress lit her face up. The innocence in the face, gave him a pang of pain and guilt flushed in.

He wanted to revisit days when their eyes would sparkle every time they talked. Days when they could look from across a crowd and smile broadly. He wanted to do it all over again. The decisions, the 5 years of life.

He turned back to face the sea again as he shook his mind away from the guilt. He knew there was no going back. They had not really fought in the 5 years, not even a harsh complaint. They gave each other all the freedom they wanted, probably that brought him here. Something was missing in life, he thought. He felt it didn't excite him as he wanted it to. What else did he expect from marriage? He really didn't know. What deeply upset him was the lack of reason to hate her. She has been all that a partner could ever be, kind, caring, loving, understanding, but somehow that didn't suffice him. He had wanted to tell her this for almost a year now.

The days from the past played in front of him. She was in her glittering green dress with her blond hair let loose. Her face pale from the winter and her lips a contrasting red. He was in his navy blazers, trying hard to stop staring at her.

They were lost into each other when he said, "This is all that I could ask for. I promise you a happily ever a..." But she didn't let him complete. She brought her fingers to his lips, stopping him midsentence and said, "No, no one should promise a happily ever after. Just promise you'll let me know when you stop loving."

There were tears in his eyes, and the image of the sea in front of him turned blurry.

He thought he should keep up his promise, at the least.