"I love you." she said.
"I know. I've always known."
They embrased in a sudden desperate kiss, and worked their clothes off furiously, like they were burning their skin.The sex was fast, hard, and unsatisfying. Almost like a ritual to banish something, as quickly as possible. When it was over they did not hold each other.
After a long uncomfortable silence, they dressed, never looking at the other person, and left with no goodbye or acknowledgement. They just simply walked away from each other. And never spoke again.
But they did run in to each other years later, in a store the woman, happily married herding her kids and doing the things that kept her busy and suited to give her life a reason, a purpose.They stopped frozen in time and stared at each other as one who sees a ghost stares. After awhile they both came to thier senses, and made no nod or visible sign to the other, but as if awakened from a sleep jolted back into thier previous activity as though nothing had happened.
The man eventually found his wife and child in the store, and she told him she had seen him staring at the strange woman.
"Did you know her in college or something, honey?"
"I thought I knew her for a little bit," the man replied "but I was wrong."
"Weird, how that older kid kinda looks just like you....."