Oh my gosh, this was amazing! On one level, I almost want a backstory to this, but on another I don't want to risk diluting this brilliant story. I really like how you decided to write it from the POV of a bystander. Any reader can insert themselves into the story, and it gives it an air of mystery to not know exactly how the characters actually feel about each other.

I usually don't like second person, but you handled it well. This was an interesting character study; I liked the parallelism of the beginning and the end.

Nice description.

This. Deserves. Every. Praise.
I occasionally find a story or snippet as majestic and bittersweet and when I do I feel like never reading anything else for the rest of eternity because it is too beautiful to spoil with a distraction.
I would like to refer you to another tale that ranks with this one, I can't recall the author at the moment, but the title is Fine Distinctions and it is about Barton and Hill's friendship and history.
Thank you for this,
Love,
Jane