Is there a way to hide an iMessage conversation without deleting it?

Is there a way to hide an iMessage conversation without deleting it?

I recently went through a breakup and would like to not see my ex's face and messages every time I pull iMessage up, but I also don't want to delete them. I have the most up to date versions of iMessage on my Macbook Pro and iPhone 5C as of this post (10-5-14)