More on the relationship theme.

You fall out of the relationship loop. You get used to your independence and solitude. You get antsy when you spend too much time around other people. You tell yourself you can never be in a relationship again. You know you will never be in a relationship again.

And then reality hits. You're hanging out with someone. You're chatting into the night. You're going through her photos, and she's close. When your hand incidentally touches her hand, you feel the warmth, the softness, the skin. Just for a moment. You feel the power of being inches away from a person. You notice the fabric of her clothes. You trace the outlines of her hoodie. You look at a photo of her, and then look up, startled that the person in the photo is her(e). When you're leaving, you hug her, and when you release you give a quick extra rub on her back, hopefully to let her know that you really had a nice time hanging out with her.

You get into your car and tell yourself you can't go there. You're finished with relationships.