Sufficiency

He poured a bit into his glass and sat back. "Aspirations are two-faced," he said around a sip.

"I know what you mean," she replied. "They are what we wish to be..."

"...and they are everything we see as missing from ourselves," he finished. They sighed together but for different reasons.

"You lack a sense of sufficiency," she said to him. "We are never a complete thing. Why attack yourself? You are no better or worse than me or her or him." She threw her gaze around the room as she said it.

"Furthermore, you are being selfish. This sinkhole you've made is a way to draw others into your orbit. It's a trap and you know it. Don't bring others down with you. They don't deserve it."

"Now, hang on. I've every right to have a feeling, even a bad one. It's not like I'm living here on it. I'm simply here for now. And don't you ever enjoy a taste of melancholia once in a while? I'm particularly fond of it as the color hits the leaves and food gets heartier."

"Fine, if this is a rest stop, so be it. Just don't overstay your welcome. It's tiresome." She got up to leave. As she walked past him, she ran her hand across his shoulders, pausing briefly in his hair. They could both feel the hairs on his neck prick up. She leaned in close. "I love you, you silly emotional bear. Find me when you find yourself."

He smiled, catching her hand between his shoulder and cheek. "Yes, ma'am."