Differences - A mere fault in a relationship

There really wasn't much to it. We went along quite well. I charmed him, he made me laugh. I cared.

 He cared. We didn't give each other reasons to break down. We were compatible. There was perhaps just a minor difference, and we kept refusing to talk about it. Perhaps because I thought we'll fix it with time. May be because it just a mere difference. Like a hair embedded in freshly coated paint on the wall, like a pinch of extra salt making the dish a tad bit saltier, like the water not cold enough on a hot summer day, like sitting side by side but not touching, like kissing but not closing your eyes. Like driving on a road which is leading directly towards the mountain but which would never really cover any distance and never really reached the base of that mountain. Like catching a bird on the ground but letting it slip right out of your fingers and seeing it fly away.  Like being there but not really being there.

It wasn't anything major, just a minor discrepancy, if you will. But it made all the difference. Like one digit off in the frequency of the radio channel makes the difference between listening to the radio, and listening to static. Like letting the chicken fry a few minutes longer makes the difference between yummy chicken dinner and chicken in the trash. Like sometimes how the red light on the intersection can decide whether you are going to be on time for work or not. Like the difference between the right word and the almost right word can change the course of a conversation. Like the moonless night can suck the life out of the sea waves. Like almost tasting love, but never really getting to embrace it.

That's all the difference there was. I loved him more than he wanted me, and what a delicious torment that little difference was.

PS: Relationships are mysterious. We doubt the positive qualities in others, seldom the negative. You will say to your partner: do you really love me? Are you sure you love me? You will ask this a dozen times and drive the person nuts. But you never ask: are you really mad at me? Are you sure you’re angry? When someone is angry, you don’t doubt it for a moment. Yet the reverse should be true. We should doubt the negative in life, and have faith in the positive