“For this task, all we ask is that you listen to what’s being said in the present, before deciding whether the past is worth holding oooonnntttoooo.” Ainsley dropped down slowly onto her knees, and kept going until she was out of the camera frame, leaving the camera pointed at her empty bedroom. The video cut out.

For this part of the night, Brougham and I were doomed to be left out. Ray had asked us when we invited her to provide her with an opportunity to apologize to Brooke properly. And that’s what she was doing now. We could spy on them through the windows, and try to gauge how we felt it was going. We could watch the tears roll down Brooke’s cheeks, and guess if the nodding was a good indicator. But the words were private.

After an eternity, both Ray and Brooke started to look what I interpreted to be much happier. Ray turned to the window—apparently they were both fully aware they were being spied on—and gestured to us it was safe to go out. Brougham and I hurried to the kitchen to fetch the dessert.

As soon as Brooke and Ray had their plates, I brought the laptop as close to Brooke as I could get it. “You’re responsible for I.T. operations,” I said. “Someone needs to pause and restart the video once you’re done answering each question, because we couldn’t predict how long you’d take.”

Brooke gave me a still-watery smile and nodded.

Ainsley’s next outfit was a black hoodie with the hood up, and sunglasses. It was the best we could do on short notice. “I,” she wheezed in her best lifelong-smoker impression, “am the ghost of relationships yet to come. I wanted to show you visions of yourselves dying alone, but Darcy told me I’m not allowed to do that, so I drew a picture of it anyway, and I’m adding it in behind Darcy’s back.”

“What?” I hissed.

The screen filled with a picture done in what looked like Microsoft Paint, showing two graves, each with DIED ALONE written on them, accompanied by BROOKE and RAINA.

“Oh my god,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.

“You left her unsupervised,” Brougham observed.

I went over to the window as Ainsley’s voice went on, losing her wheeze for a minute. “I felt that was important for the theme, but no pressure to get back together or anything; for real, it’s totally voluntary. Lots of people live very fulfilled lives, single and happy.”

I banged on the window and Brooke and Ray looked over, startled. “It’s true!” I yelled, before returning to Brougham.