Moments: Just Not Meant To Be

They arrived at the park just after two and walked to the foot of the steps leading to the Brooklyn Bridge. They did not hold hands and did not smile at each other. They stood close together but their bodies did not touch.

They found a spot on the top of stairs and sat for a few minutes in silence, looking at the people around them. She glanced at the couple that sat next to them and then quickly looked away. Then she stared at the two girls who were doing an impromptu photoshoot. She looked almost happy watching them. Then she looked at a couple who couldn’t keep their hands of each other.

Their happiness was almost too much, both suffocating and infectious. She looked at her boyfriend who was busy going through his phone. She looked sad; her eyes slightly glistening with tears that she fought back. She pursed her lips and then stood up and without any words exchanged, shoved her phone into his hands and nudged him to take a picture of her against the backdrop of the bridge and skyline.

He looked annoyed but complied. She looked dejected as she posed. She tried but failed to manage a smile through the corner of her mouth. She tried once again but the smile did not come.

He shoved the phone back at her and returned to his phone. She sat back down on the stairs and looked far into the distance. He looked up from his phone and glanced at her almost with a look of resentment and then was back on his phone.

They sat for 20 minutes and did not say a word to each other. It was as if they both knew things aren’t going to get any better.

Soon they got up and headed out of the park. As they walked towards the gate they moved even further apart.