Tense.

Some relationships are sort of poisoned at the root, but not strongly enough that it actually kills the relationship -- so instead, it grows like a dark twisted briar in your life, making some areas uninhabitable, or squeezing out other thriving plants. We end up indulging them and letting them persist because we are fascinated by them, and they often seem more "real" or authentic because they hearken back to an earlier time in our life that we aren't fully ready to shut the door on.

Maybe I can still have all those parts of myself without having that relationship along with them.
Those relationships create horrible knots of longing and dread; these people are more invested in keeping their dream alive than they are creating happiness in the present tense -- and that latter is something that they wouldn't even know how to begin to do.

Instead, I made a deal with all my former selves that they are allowed to ride along in my head with me, if they want. No one left behind. One condition -- they don't get to steer. They're not qualified, they're all still nursing these archaic hurts and their range of vision is so limited.

Me, present tense: I'm the only one who gets to steer.