the chess partner

A light click and my wooden queen was down

I bit my lower lip and realised that a sole tear trickled down my cheek slowly

With a sedating smile he looked up at me from under his eyelids

And I knew, I’d lost, not just my empress but my guard and coveted pride all at once.

The playful smile now dropped into a frown and a puzzled expression took over.

"It’s just a single game, you haven’t lost it all

Why such a long face?"

I have,

Lost it all

I was no longer in power

My king wasn’t the one in solitude now

But my heart was

And I wanted him to capture it

I’d lost it

Much before the game had begun.