Hearing something new in her life brightened my mood considerably. “Really? I like poetry…It’s a lot like lyric writing. Less cursing, though.” I paused to laugh again, then asked her, “So what are you up to today?”

“Nothing really…”

There was sadness in the sound, wistfulness. I didn’t want her to be sad. I didn’t want her seeking…comfort. A soft sigh escaped me. Please don’t let her forget about me. I forced myself to smile, so I would sound fine. “Well, I’ve just got endless driving in front of me…please tell me your life is more interesting than that. One of us needs a good story to tell.”

“Well…” she started tentatively. “I’m on my way to have lunch with a friend.”

For a second, it felt like my heart stopped. Lunch with a friend? What the fuck does that mean? If it was someone I knew, she’d just say their name. Damn it, don’t overreact…she has friends you don’t know, friends from school. It doesn’t mean they’re more than friends. She won’t hurt you. She’s wearing a literal promise around her finger to not hurt you.

I stared at the ring on my own hand, gleaming in the sunlight, and tried to draw strength from it. Showcasing my talent for hiding my emotions, I brightly told her, “Good. It’s good that you’re getting out, having a life.” And it was. She should be going out—I’d purposely asked people to take her out. I’d just prefer it if she was going out with Jenny or Rachel. Don’t ask her who she’s with. Trust her.

Kiera took my words the wrong way. “Of course I still have a life. Do you think my world revolves around you?”

Her tone was heavy with sarcasm, and I knew she was teasing me for my word choice. If I’d been in a better mood, I would have laughed it off and apologized for my implication that she was somehow incomplete without me. But her words were caustically mixing with Benji’s warning: Do yourself a favor, don’t get attached.

Don’t get attached…because you’re replaceable. And it’s inevitable. The thought was crashing around my brain so loudly, I felt like my head was splitting in two. She doesn’t need you.

The words spilled out of me before I could stop them. “No, no, I don’t think that at all.” It’s my world that revolves around you, not the other way around. It’s always been that way.

“You all right?” she quietly asked.