“Thank you,” I said after we’d climbed out of the taxi.

“For what?”

“Everything. Coming out here, talking me off the ledge, being here with me now.”

She turned to me as yellow cabs zoomed by, passing each other in a race to get their customers to their destinations on time.

“Listen,” she said, “I didn’t have to talk you off any ledge. You were doing fine all on your own. You would have figured this out without me. I just like to think that you do better when I’m around.” She laughed.

A gust of wind raced through the trees, making our teeth chatter.

“You don’t give yourself enough credit, Cara. I know you think I came out here because I didn’t believe you could do this on your own, but that’s far from the truth. I came here because I heard the pain in your voice and couldn’t imagine being anywhere but by your side. So, yes… I might be a little bossy and demanding, but that’s only because that’s how I handle these kinds of situations.”

“That’s not how you handled Jeremy,” I reminded her, shoving my hands into my pockets for warmth.

“Sure I did. After several weeks of self-loathing and wishing harm and ill-will to several parts of his lower anatomy, I eventually got up and took care of things.”

“Mmhmm,” I agreed, rolling my eyes.

She grabbed my arm, tightly linking us together. We began the one-block stroll toward my apartment. How she knew what direction to go, I’d never know. She’d probably Googled it while I was in the shower. It was what I would have done.

We were oddly similar in that way.

“Let’s just consider my experience with getting over Jeremy a crash course for you on what not to do. Don’t sit around in your pajamas for weeks on end. Don’t blame yourself, and definitely don’t convince yourself that chocolate is a major food group before trying to fit into your skinny jeans. It’s not good for the ego.”

“Duly noted.”

“On that note, let’s go get your stuff, and find you a place. Then, if we have time, maybe you can take me out to dinner?” she said with a flicker of hope.

“Sounds like a plan.”

As we’d predicted and hoped, the apartment was quiet and dark when we entered.

“What the hell?” I found myself saying immediately as my eyes scanned the empty walls, the bare floor, and the nearly barren kitchen.

“Does it always look like this?” Melissa asked as she took a walk around the living room where the couch used to be.

“No,” I said in a daze. “Not at all.”