“I know some people, Duke,” Meg says. “I hope you don’t think I’ve overstepped, but my dear friend Luke? He and his twin brother are both away at college. They’ll be home for Christmas break, but their parents? Charlie and Iris? They’re used to having a lot of kids around and have been pretty lonely. They’d love to have you stay with them in Ann Arbor for a little bit.”

Duke sits up, opening his eyes. “Really?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, but, uh, are they like your mom? Are they sure? Would they need to meet me first, because—”

Meg is already shaking her head and laughing. “Not at all like my mom. In fact, the opposite of my mom. Luke is dating my best friend Vada, but Cullen, his brother, has been with his boyfriend for four years now. They are a very loving and open family. Also, Charlie used to be some British punk icon? In like, the ’80s or ’90s?”

“Not Charlie Greenly.”

“Um, yeah?”

“Of the Bad Apples. That Charlie Greenly. Are you serious right now?”

Meg shrugs. “I mean. I don’t really listen to punk, but—”

Duke shoves forward in his seat and places a sloppy kiss on Meg’s cheek. Even in the dark, I can see the sheen of tears in his eyes.

I squeeze Meg’s hand. I’m overwhelmed. She smiles at me. “Okay,” she says. “I’ll call tomorrow. If you need out sooner than Christmas, though—”

“No. That’s fine,” he says. “After Christmas is perfect. Just knowing I’m almost out of here is everything.”

“I’ll drive you down,” I say. “So, if you need to leave sooner, let me know, okay?”

Duke nods, silent now. We pull into his drive a few minutes later, and he walks up his steps in the dark. I wait until he flips a light on in the house before pulling out.

“Well. Now what?”

“I could eat,” Meg says.

“I think Burrito Grill is still open.”

She moans. “Oh, yum. I love their hot sauce. It’s not as good as Chela’s back home, but it’s a very close second.”

I turn onto 41 and head for the restaurant. The snowfall from earlier has stopped, so we order our burritos to go, and instead of parking in the lot, I cut perpendicular behind campus and head out of town on Big Bay Road. After a few minutes, I pull onto a dirt road that leads to a bunch of cabins and a lake. Out here, you can nearly pull all the way to the edge of the water. It’s dark, but the moon is full, and the clouds have cleared so its reflection off the still-as-glass lake bathes everything it touches in a soft silvery glow.

“You said the phone call went well?”