Joy slowly closes her eyes and covers her face with her hands. “That’s fair,” she says into her palms.

“At the festival, we talked for a really long time. He told me everything, I think, from the beginning when you first met. I think you two need each other in a way I won’t ever understand, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. It would be wrong of me to come between that.”

Oh. Joy tries to keep her face neutral, open and listening, as opposed to mind-blowingly astonished. None of Malcolm’s partners have ever said anything like that to her before.

Usually, Malcolm’s heart-to-heart moments consisted of him telling them he’s asexual and explaining why monogamy is so deeply important to him. He has to have a commitment in place, they have to be exclusive, or it’s game over. He’ll walk away because casual dating just doesn’t work for him.

Joy should have known his heart-to-heart with Summer would be different. For one thing, Summer already knows Malcolm is ace. He even used some of his confession time to talk about Joy, all to try to make Summer understand.

And it actually worked.

“Thank you for saying that,” Joy says quietly.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it, you know? I don’t agree at all with how Caroline handled everything, but I think I understand how she felt too. I needed to see you and Malcolm together with my own eyes and now that I have, I get it.” Summer nods and sniffles. “I don’t want to feel like I come second with Malcolm either. I don’t know anyone who would feel okay with being second in their relationship. But I’m equally not okay asking him to choose between us.”

“That’s also fair.”

“He said he wants to be with me. Not you.”

“I know.”

“And I believe him.”

“As you should.” The final mystery from the trip, finally revealed. “How did you answer?”

“I said yes”—she pauses—“with some stipulations.”

Here it comes. Joy grips the bench seat with both hands, gaze trained on the ground. No matter what Summer says, she won’t react. She’ll keep her word, step aside, and accept it. More than anything, she wishes she could hear what’s coming directly from Malcolm, but this is probably for the best.

It might be too hard for him. He might not be able to push Joy away while looking at her.