love is a strange thing, isn't it?

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i've been thinking about it a lot lately. mostly the latter side of love, though. the heartbreak, the emptiness, the (sometimes) regret- it's all worth it. but what happens after all of that?

what happens when the hurt is over and you're ready to move on?

you can't possibly just not care anymore, can you?

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there are two main philosophies when it comes to this:

one- you'll always be in love with someone once you fall.

two- if you can fall in love, then you can fall out of love.

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but are either of those true?

nothing is ever that black and white, is it?

there has to be some kind of in-between.

at least for some people.

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option one just sounds too painful. you can't possibly carry that around for the rest of your life; let it weigh you down like the world is forever on your shoulders. that wouldn't be fair to you or any future person you might be with.

how could you ever fully fall in love after that?

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what about option two? when you completely fall out of love, do you still care about that person to a certain extent? i know my parents do. they still ask about each other, but they aren't in love anymore.

maybe they're just the exception.

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at this point, i'm still in love with him. though, hopefully one day i won't be anymore. sure, i'll still care about him, but it won't feel like a throbbing emptiness in my chest.

maybe that's my in-between.

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but, how will i be able to tell

when nothing makes sense anymore?