She Did Nothing Wrong. That Is the Whole Problem.
You still like her. That is the part nobody warns you about. You like her laugh, you remember every kindness she showed you during the years when you needed kindness badly, and yet you find yourself not calling back as quickly as you once did. The conversation, when it happens, costs you something you cannot name. You sit with your phone after and feel vaguely hollowed out, the way you feel after eating something that used to be your favourite and discovering the taste has changed. She has not changed. You have. And the guilt of that sits differently than the guilt of any fight you've ever had, because there is no one to apologise to and nothing to fix.
