They were together again. Within the building located just north east of the university campus. He was reading a book about minerals. She was studying state legislation that stood in the way of their current objective; to build a bridge across a river. Both people wouldn’t have minded if this moment continued forever.

“I never thought that I’d be trying to take away laws that protect the environment. I personally do find some of them to be over the top, but is this really a good idea?” Kerala asked.

“Yes. But you misunderstand. The trick is to remove laws that needlessly impede progress while also keeping any landmark ones that actually contribute to protecting wildlife. To trim without losing the things that are important to the people. I personally think that if people’s wellbeing is taken care of first, the will to protect the environment will strengthen far more than if we focused exclusively on protecting nature from the beginning,” Stanley answered with a relaxed attitude.

She stared at him even after he was finished talking. “Sounds good,” she finally managed. Her gaze abruptly wandered to a painting in the room. “Say… Um. What would you think if I said that I liked you?” Kerala asked, glancing at his expression.

Stanley slowly looked up at her and tilted his head, apparently confused. “Uh. Well I don’t know. That’s nice I guess?” Well this is weird. He waited for her to continue, but seeing that she was lost in thought, decided to return to the world of geology.

“Oh, found a good one. This regulation requires you to submit an identical feasibility study to seven different organisations. And you even have to wait three months after each study is approved before submitting to the next organisation on the list,”

“That’s… Wow. Almost two years?” he asked in disbelief.

“Yep. This one definitely has to go,”

Stanley stared off into space, considering the implications of this new found information. I wasn’t sure before. But somebody needs to do something about this.

“Hey, I love you. You know that?” she said, completely shattering his concentration.

“What?” he asked, awaiting an answer. But as he looked into her eyes, she only smiled at him in silence. That can’t be true right? But what if…

“I mean what I said. I think we should be together,” she said.

“Wow, umm. Okay. I need to think about this,”

“I say something like that, and your response is that you need to think about it? It seems pretty simple to me. Either you feel the same way or you don’t,”

A coldness seemed to manifest around him. “Listen to me, please. This is something I take very seriously. So I’m going to need time to think about it,”

“Can’t you just, decide?”

“If you say anything else, I’m going to leave. Understand?” he searched her expression, and upon finding what he was looking for, laid back in his chair to consider his future.

This continued for ten minutes, at the end of which Stanley wore a sombre expression. Kerala was unafraid to express her impatience by loudly flipping through the pages of her book.

“No,” he finally answered.

“What? Just like that?!” Kerala slammed her book down and considered him with a mix of disbelief and confusion.

“It wouldn’t work out. And even if it did for a time, I would make sure that it failed,”

“What does that even mean? You’re not even going to give us a chance?!”

I think I already know the answer. But I suppose I should ask her anyway to make sure.

Stanley, for the first time in a very long time, stated his plans for his life to another person, and what he expected from the sole person that would accompany him on that journey.

Kerala was briefly stunned, but she soon recovered. “I agree with you. That sounds great!” She was ecstatic, assuming that all was right with the world.

He responded to her unbridled joy with a sad smile. “It’s not going to happen. Not with you,” I hate this so much.

“Okay. Why? Tell me what’s wrong. Is there something wrong with me?”

“No. I just know you well enough to see that there are irreconcilable differences between us. We would eventually clash, and then we’d tear each other to pieces. I’ve been watching you since we met, and I’m almost certain of this. You say that you agree with me, but you don’t understand what that means. At least from what I’ve seen, you have a different understanding than the one that I possess. And I just can’t accept that,”

Stanley forced himself to hold her gaze as tears began forming in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She left soon after. He heard the door close behind him. But he couldn’t pull his gaze away from where Kerala had been standing. She’s gone. It’s done.

He sat down, moving to pick up his mineral book. Once it was in his hands he realised that nothing within it interested him anymore. He stood up and swung the book back abruptly and prepared to throw it across the room. Stanley trembled as he struggled to stop himself from unleashing punishment on his surroundings. No. I refuse.

He slowly deflated, sinking back into his chair, feeling the undoubtedly fake leather that seemed to plague all seating material within a certain price range. It’s always like this. Everything always breaks. It was only a matter of time.

Stanley retrieved some paper and began drawing. When he was done, the clock on the wall informed him that he had been at it for two hours. The first hour consisted of him drawing sharp objects that seemed to want to break out of the page and wreak havoc upon the world. He then spent some time considering what he had made. He was unsatisfied. Stanley rounded out the rest of his time drawing clouds and things possessing graceful and rounded edges.

Nature truly is beautiful.

Finished with his work, he let his pen fall to the desk. The impact echoed in the desolate office. Looking at the wooden desk, he realised it was probably older than he was. It possessed an impossibly large number of small marks and stains that spoke of a lifetime of use. It would always creak slightly when he put too much weight on it.

“Perhaps I just need to find those things that are truly unbreakable,” he said to himself, studying the small items that sat atop the desk, as if they might hold the answer to curing his woes. “Wow that sounds so cheesy,” he gave the lone pot plant in the room a strained smile. “And yet so true,”

It still hurts. But I need to keep moving forward.