Romances don’t always last as long as we would like. The expression “honeymoon phase” didn’t come out of nowhere. Science has proven that while people do bond over time, that they also un-bond as well. Contrary to the evidence that romance is often short-lived and that part of romance is the chase period and then the maintenance period, there are cases of relationships lasting the life-span of the couple. What makes these cases interesting is that statistically speaking they are rare, and the reasons for a relationship lasting will vary. Cynically speaking, many are sustained based on legal marital obligation, and yet some are sustained based on true love. Elderly couples display this- the connection is not based on physical beauty but on lifelong connection and shared experiences. While we can take a scientific approach to understanding and quantifying couples, not all relationships or people fit into a box. One can realize through experience that finding that “one” person to decide to spend the rest of your life with can happen inexplicably. Almost as an act of divine intervention. On the same token, divinity can steal your love away. Through situational circumstances we can understand logically why things do not work out, and we can wonder what we could have done to help the situation work out. Then we can simply say, it was not meant to be…onto the next. However, what makes these long-lasting relationships work is both person’s willingness to stick it out through the difficult times. In the case of the ephemeral romance, defined by me as lasting under 6 months, you may have all of the emotional ups and downs of a full-fledged romance in a very short period of time. This intense experience will “play out” and may leave you wondering, why? Especially if things seemed to be synchronous and harmonious. That is when most people make the assumption that nature shall take its rightful course and that we must not interfere in such an illogical affair, because matters of the heart are rarely logical. Over time we come to understand that the people we chose to spend our time with aren’t who we thought they were, revealing themselves to have another agenda whether consciously or subconsciously, whether pre-destined or based on polite society’s expectations of them. Either way, what has happened cannot be undone, every ephemeral romance that was, will not be forgotten so haphazardly.