The Space Between

A Relationship Flash Story on Loss

Photo by Alba Rebecca on Unsplash

Elliot’s hands hovered over his mother’s wedding ring, resting in the felt-lined box like something sacred. The silver band was thinner than he remembered, dulled by time and the weight of a love that had once been indestructible.

He had almost pawned it once. Rent was due, and he was two weeks from eviction, but he couldn’t bring himself to let it go. Not because of sentiment—no, he had spent years untangling himself from the past—but because it felt like giving up a piece of proof. Proof that once, love had meant something.

Now, he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the ring like it held an answer.

A knock at the door. Soft. Hesitant.

He already knew it was Sophie.

She was leaving. He had known it for weeks, maybe months. The distance between them had grown, like taffy stretched too thin.

“Hey,” she said when he opened the door. Her gaze falling to the packed bag beside his bed. “So, it’s true.”

He nodded. “Figured it was time.”

Sophie held her breath. Her delicate fingers twitched at her side, the way they did when she had something to say but wasn’t sure if she should say it.

“I could stay,” she offered.

Elliot exhaled a quiet laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “You mean that?”

Her lips parted, but she didn’t answer.

That was the problem with love—it wasn’t about the words people said, but the space between them. And lately, all their words had been spoken across a widening gap, each one landing off target.

He picked up the ring and turned it between his fingers. “Did I ever tell you why I kept this?”

She shook her head.

“My dad gave it to me after my mom left.” He smiled, but it was hollow. “Told me to hold onto it because love always comes back around. He waited for her, you know? Died still waiting.”

Sophie’s eyes swelled with emotion. “Elliot—”

“I don’t want to be him,” he said. “Holding onto something that’s already gone.”

She saw him. Not the version she had tried to hold onto, the man she had loved once upon a time, but the man standing before her now—worn, tired, carrying too much weight in his chest.

She reached for his hand, curling his fingers over the ring. “Then let it go.”

It should have been simple. Open his hand. Let the past fall away. But love wasn’t simple. Loss wasn’t either.

He closed his eyes.

Then, with a quiet breath, he let the ring slip from his fingers.

It hit the hardwood floor with a soft clink.

Sophie gave a faint smile. “Take care of yourself, Elliot.”

And then she was gone.

He stood there for a long time, staring at the ring, waiting for regret to settle in. But for the first time in years, his hands felt lighter. The past was no longer something to hold onto.

It was just something to leave behind.