She looked so proud. “Well—” She put out her cigarette and stood up. “You did it. You’ve survived these last few sessions.” She opened her arms.

When I stood up, she hugged me.

“What will you do the rest of the day?” she asked.

“Walk around a bit. Maybe catch a movie. Blake keeps bugging me to go to some party, so I’ll also be trying to come up with an excuse for not doing that.”

“Good. That’s good,” she said, walking me to the door, still with her arm around my shoulder.

She let go as she opened the door, and then I turned to her, taking an extra second to properly look at her. I felt oddly grown up, standing there with this person who had met a boy unable to endure any sort of pain without feeling as though it had the power to turn him into dust, but now though the boy had aged, so much was different. So I leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and found she also blushed, just like he did.

“I’m alive because of you, I think,” I told her.

It was the only time I’d ever seen Dr. Foster tear up.

“You’ve turned into a lovely young man, Thomas,” she said fondly. “Can I give you my very last professional advice?”

“I’m pretty sure that wasn’t an actual question.”

“You know, better than most, how to take care of people,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing, a trait I truly hope you never lose.” Then she went quiet for a second, smiling as she took a deep breath. “I also wish that you will one day come to realize you are also worthy of being taken care of, maybe even allowing for it to happen.”

“Thank you, Alicia,” I said after a beat. “I promise I won’t like Dr. Lott.”

“Sydney is going to adore you,” she said. “And I meant it when I said I’ll want to talk to you someday.”

“Well, I meant it when I said it terrified me.”

She turned to glance at the living room and then back at me. “Don’t forget your jacket.” She pointed at it on the couch.

“Can you do me a favor? Give it back to him for me?”

“I really think you should—”

“Please?”

She smiled. “All right. I’ll make sure he gets it.”

*

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” I told Blake as we walked up the steps to the house.

“It’ll be fun.” She wrapped both arms around mine. “Besides, this is the last party before graduation. Everybody’s here.”

“That’s precisely why I didn’t want to come,” I said, but it was too late. We were already inside.

“Come on, Tommy. Chances are we won’t even run into to him.”