“Why? I’m not the first guy to go war after my heart got broken. Half of my buddies wrote home to girls that didn’t love them back. Some of them had girls that quit waiting. I was one of the lucky ones, even though your smile haunted me for a long time.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I said, wrinkling my nose.

“No,” he said, matter-of-factly. “After leaving, going half-way across the world, I still missed you. I didn’t think it would ever go away. But something changed, Nina.”

“Oh?”

Ryan smiled. “I quit loving you.”

I nodded, my feelings conflicted. A small part of me was hurt, and maybe a bit jealous that he had finally gotten over me. The rest of me was overjoyed. “That’s…good? I guess?”

“No, that’s wrong. I still love you. I will always love you as my friend. But I’m in love with someone else.”

A grin streaked across my face for a fleeting moment. “That’s exciting. Do I know her?”

“Actually…I think you do. And I need your help.”

“Anything. I sort of owe you, don’t I?”

Ryan sighed, nodding. “That’s where I was going with this.” He paused for a moment. “You ever get the feeling you’re never alone? I mean, even when you are.”

His words spoke to every moment of my life, but I remained quiet.

Ryan ignored my silence. “Do you remember the night Jared came into the bar? And the last night we were together?”

My heart began to pound. I didn’t know what direction the conversation had taken, but I felt instantly uncomfortable. “What about it?”

“I remember three things about both of those nights: Jared’s sister, how strong she was, and those crazy blue eyes. Everyone else says I’m crazy, Nina…but you…you I know will understand.”

“Don’t be so sure,” I said, feigning bewilderment.

Ryan huffed, frustrated. “The night in your father’s office. You said I couldn’t tell anyone about our plan because Jared would find out. I thought he was in the F.B.I. or something, but it’s bigger than that, isn’t it?”

I touched his arm. “You’re seeing someone professional, right? About what happened to you over there?” The words had to be said to protect those I loved, but the guilt was overwhelming. Ryan didn’t deserve that from me—he had come to me for a reason: because he trusted me to believe him. If the consequences were different, I would have been the friend he’d always been to me, but my choice was clear.

He paused. Anger made the skin around his eye twitch. “What makes you think anything happened to me over there?”

“I uh…,” I swallowed. “I really should be going,” I said, reaching for the door handle.