“Is this ever going to get easier?”
He’s silent; his eyes closed. He’s quiet for so long that I think he’s fallen asleep. It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve fallen asleep on the phone together. Just as I’m about to whisper I love you and hang up, he opens his beautiful brown eyes, stares right at me, and delivers the saddest news I’ve heard in a long time.
“I don’t think it will.”
I take a deep breath, then release it slowly.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” I say, trying to force some levity into my voice.
“Yeah,” he mumbles. “I love you.”
“I love you.”
“You’ll always be my hardest goodbye, Classic.” He flashes me a slow, tired smile. “Sleep tight.”
“You too,” I whisper.
When the call ends, so does my composure, and I spend yet another night crying into my pillow until I finally fall asleep.