“Good.” I stand up. “Now, there’s one thing I need to give you before you leave.” I pull out the Nerds Clusters from one of the baskets on the dresser that we didn’t finish. When I pass them to her, it makes her chuckle. “When you eat these…think of me.”

“You’re really giving me the Nerds Clusters?”

“Babe, that’s how much I like you.”

“Busy?” I say as Mika opens the door to his apartment.

“Holy shit,” he says, pulling me into a hug. “I didn’t think you were coming home this early.”

I hug him back and then release him. “Yeah, neither did I. Think we can talk?”

His expression falls. “Uh-oh, did you hurt her?”

I shake my head. “Nah, man, trying not to hurt her.”

“I don’t like the sound of this.”

“Can you just let me in?”

He scans me with his eyes, debating in his head, but then he lets me in his apartment and leads me into the living room. As I take a seat on the couch, he says, “I have water and Coke Zero from the corner store.”

“The good corner store?”

“According to your app, the best corner store.”

“Then I’ll take one.”

He grabs two Coke Zeros, opens them effortlessly like the skilled bartender that he is, and then hands me one before taking a seat. “What happened?”

“To make a long story short, I have feelings for her. She got scared because of her past, and when asked if I would hurt her, I said I didn’t want to.”

He pauses mid-drink and then lowers his can of soda. “You said you didn’t want to instead of saying I won’t hurt you?”

“Yeah.” I pull on the back of my neck. “Not my best showing, that’s for damn sure. But it’s why I’m here, because I need to talk something through with you.”

“Okay,” he says, seeming nervous.

“I need to talk about Mom.”

His expression falls. “Dude, I’m going to need something stronger than a Coke Zero to have this conversation.”

“I know I’m springing this on you, but it’s important, okay?”

He lets out a huge sigh and then turns to me. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“I need to know something, given all the hard work you’re doing in therapy and the strides you’ve taken to better your mental health. Do you think there will be a time when you might be okay with being in the same room as her again?”