The lamp between them had burned low. Ara poured more tea into Benjamin's cup, set the pot down, and looked at him.
"Are you alright?" she said.
"I'm fine," Benjamin said with ease.
"Benjamin."
He smiled faintly at the table. "I'm tired. But I'm alright."
Ara was quiet for a moment. "Is something wrong?"
He didn't answer right away. She didn't push.
"It's nothing you need to worry about," he said.
"But, that's not what I asked."
Benjamin looked up. Ara's expression was patient and her eyes steady. She never demanded anything, which somehow made it harder to deflect.
"The two of you," she said carefully. "You and Charles. Something is different between you. It has been since you arrived."
The night air was still. Somewhere beyond the garden wall, an insect chirped and stopped.
Benjamin looked back down at his cup. "Truth be told... I love him," he said quietly. "I think I always will." He paused. "But I have to let him go. And he has to let me go. That's just how it is."
