I know it’s over when I feel relief at distance

Dear Delyara, When there’s more relief than loss in the cancelled plan. When a delayed reply feels easier than a warm one. When I no longer want the deeper conversation because I don’t trust what it will cost me emotionally. When the body loosens more in the absence than in the contact. That’s when I know something has already gone. Friendships do not always end in one clear event. Sometimes they become emotionally expensive first. And if you are loyal enough, you can stay inside that expense for far too long while still calling it closeness.