“What are you doing here?” I ask. I whip toward Brian, eyes narrowed. “Did you know she was coming?”

He shrugs. “Only since this morning.”

Becca laughs. “I told him not to tell you because it’s supposed to be a surprise,” she says. “But yeah, long story short, I came to Denver for a university workshop, so my parents wanted to make a little vacation out of it and visit some family in Boulder.”

“How long are you here for?” I ask.

“We’re leaving tomorrow, which is why I had to stop in to surprise you before we go.”

“Oh my God, hold on,” I say.

I reach for an envelope on the counter and pass it off to her. I was originally going to mail it out to her, but since she’s here, she might as well take it now. She accepts it with a raised brow before slipping it into her back pocket, but she already knows what it is. I texted her a couple nights ago to let her know I’d be revising her list to something actually useful, like “someone who gives you the space to talk in your own time while still making it clear they care” and “someone who lets you be the star of your own show.” It only seemed fair since she’d done so much for my relationship already.

It kind of felt like the least I could do after I’d been such a useless friend. Hopefully she’ll need it later for her Insta girlfriend, but even if she doesn’t, it’s a good little something to remember me by while we’re miles apart.

“So,” Becca says, hands on her hips, commanding all of the attention in the space. “You must be Devin.”

Devin pales, fiddling with eir hands. “Um, yeah, I am.”

Becca smiles, crossing the room and pulling Devin into a hug that e eventually manages to return. “Ugh, I’m so happy you’re not Drew!”

Devin blinks at me, an eyebrow raised. “Thank you?”

“Okay, enough,” I say, shoving my hands between them and prying them apart. “No Drew talk either. Let the past stay dead.”

I haven’t heard from Drew since the fight, and it’s actually been a huge relief. If I was still stuck on the twelve steps, I guess I could take this as a sign that he absolutely failed, but now it’s just a breath of fresh air. I don’t know if I ever really loved him or just loved the idea of him, but I’m moving on to bigger and better things, and wherever he is, I guess I hope he is too. Whatever keeps him out of my life, really.

“Amen to that,” Becca says. “So what’s the plan? Skiing down a mountain? Kayaking down a roaring river?”

I smirk. “Checking out Devin’s favorite comic shop?”