Until we don’t

I’ve seen this before,
This exact same scene—
The way you are sitting
In front of a mirror.
Or was it drawing a bath?
Anyhow, it was this,
Almost exactly the same view.

She, too, had her hair draped
Across her naked back like you,
Busying herself unhurriedly
With a diligently followed routine,
Cleaning her face of makeup
And, in the process, becoming more beautiful—
Glowing, shining, beaming with light.

She, too, would then turn to face me
After she had, for the better part of
Half an hour, pretended not to notice
Me staring at her with restrained delight.
And just like her, you would ask me,
“What are you thinking of?”

I’d wait for a moment or two,
Gathering my spirit,
Searching for any combination of words
That are not a lie.
I then would settle for a simple smile
And a sincerely held answer:
“I love you.”

Then I would bend towards you
And kiss you gently,
Desperately trying to overwrite
All the poison that remained
In the back of my throat
The day she left.

And I will push away every thought
That says you’ll end up doing the same.
No, we will live happily ever after—
Until we don’t.
Happily ever true—
Until we decide not to.
Until we, too, forget about this love.