creative differences

When she and I split up, the public story was "creative differences." Publicly it was really just the artistic team splitting up. As far as anyone knew or cared, we were still dating--and would stay that way until one of our friends leaked to the press. We said it was amicable. It was a brilliantly perpetuated lie, right up to the kiss on the air for our interview.

You could even call it that privately, if you don't mind lying to yourself. We first started bickering over stupid things--she wouldn't like a word I'd used. I'd complain that I didn't like the color she was using. It expanded to broader accusations--failing to capture a mood, creating something entirely opposed to the intended finished product--and from there it became personal attacks.

Sometimes, I still tell myself it was really just irreconcilable creative differences, that there wasn't anything more lurking underneath, that we'd never done any wrong to each other before that. I know she does the same. We've even talked about it a few times, pretended we were still good friends, recited some platitudes. But we both know we're lying to ourselves.