The last night I spent with my ex
“IF tomorrow you won’t be mine, won’t you give it to me one last time” is echoed in the chorus of One Direction’s Love You Goodbye, indicating that lovers should have one last night together before calling it quits.
But though this has negative rather than positive implications, a lot of people still head down that road, ignoring the flashing neon lights that blare ‘no’.
Mark:
I didn’t think with my head when I went down that road with my ex. It was more of a leap with my heart. I had just graduated with distinction from my master’s programme and she said she would fly up for my graduation, then we could spend a week at an all-inclusive hotel as her treat and a way of saying congratulations. I thought, “Wow, that’s a sweet gesture”, and though we had mutually decided to split a month earlier, it wouldn’t hurt to hang out with her. So I accepted the offer and she was on her way. When she arrived I got her from the airport and everything was civil and hands-off right up until I graduated. When we reached the hotel we still maintained distance. But after we went swimming one night and started talking, things went downhill. We remembered all the good times and I went in for a kiss, she gave in, and next thing you know we were stumbling to the hotel room. In no time, distance went through the window. The entire week was spent that way, like a couple. When she flew back to Jamaica she decided that it was time to seriously break it off, and I was left wanting her.
Lauren:
About four months after we had a very bitter split, he started messaging me and tickling my sense of humour. At first I was annoyed, but then I started enjoying the texts and laughs that I would get. Eventually he asked to see me, and though hesitant at first, I went ahead. When we met he lay his plans on the table. He said: “I miss you and I know I’ve moved on, but you haven’t, so while you’re still single I’d like to be your man on the side, that’s until you meet someone, then it can end, for good.” I said no, but still kept talking to him, because truth be told, I did miss him. When my dad died, our new-found friendship started moving into what he initially wanted. Being vulnerable and in need of comfort I gave in and funnily enough, said “one last time”. Well, that last time turned into a few months. Eventually I realised this wasn’t making sense or going anywhere, so I went abroad to my aunt for a month. When I came back I found out he had migrated, which turned out to be fortunate for both of us.
Rebecca Kay:
The last night with my ex was a very drunken encounter. We have mutual friends so we went to a link-up and had too much liquor. As the night was coming to an end he approached me and asked if I wanted to spend the night. I said sure, but ended up being sick. He took me to his house, got me cleaned up, and gave me a T-shirt to wear along with his basketball shorts. The next morning we were talking and I apologised for being drunk. While listening he kissed me and I totally dropped my guard and went for the ride. When we finished I told him I knew a future wasn’t possible, but the memories will always be there.
Sheldon:
It was pretty straightforward. We were still friends and would still text each other. Then I told her I missed taking her to bed, and she said she missed it too. We decided to meet up for one last time to just give it our all, then go our separate ways. We did that and it never really helped, because there were many ‘last nights’. However, the very last one was certain, as she didn’t hang around to cuddle.
— KH
