Are you two friends?

"If you're really asking me to define the relationship. I'd say its closer to a No Strings Attached situation than anything else. We know each other. There is some modicum of respect there. We have similar interests and consume a lot of the same media. Yes, we've even fucked each other a couple of times over the years. There are things we have revealed with each other that no one else ever needs to know."

"But at the end of the day, we have diverging responsibilities. I mean, I'm Head of Counterintelligence for Antifa, you're [redacted]. All of this will make a great movie(s) [against the romantic backdrop of a great game], someday, but we've always known what this was. Sure, we could talk it out and try to make something of the ashes of this relationship. But we're all experienced enough in life to see where things are good."

Relationship is framed as No Strings Attached, grounded in mutual recognition and a modicum of respect. Both parties share interests and consume similar media, and they have had sex a few times over the years. The relationship includes intimate revelations kept secret from others. Responsibilities have diverged, with one person serving as Head of Counterintelligence for Antifa and the other role redacted. The relationship is seen as unlikely to be rebuilt due to limited communication and separate obligations. There is a sense of acceptance and an imagined future moment of casual recognition, followed by abrupt, urgent interruption.

Read at Portland Mercury