“That sounds about right. But still, almost impossible to find. So impossible that you might as well say it doesn’t exist.” His hands move behind my neck.

I close my eyes, breathing him in. “Maybe you’re right.”

I press my forehead to his, and he doesn’t back away.

“Hey.” I can feel the brush of his lashes against my nose.

“Yeah?”

“You should keep looking, Lauren. Don’t stop until you find it. You’re a great girl, and you deserve to find love. Don’t sell out.”

“What about you?”

He exhales, and I part my lips, wanting to breathe him in.

“Nah. I’m on my own.”

“But your parents had it?”

I lift my hand, letting my fingers graze against the tips of his clean, buzzed hair. He leans into my touch.

“They did. But I’ve seen enough to know we all have a different lot. That was theirs. This is mine.”

“But why?” I exclaim. “You’re—”

“Don’t push.” He rears his head back. “You don’t know me, Lauren.” His terse reply doesn’t invite a response. He averts his eyes to face the ceiling.

“Okay, maybe not that well. But I know enough. I mean, we had so much fun at the wedding. You told me you saw yourself having a family one day.”

“You’re great. And I know you’re looking for love. But I’m not the one. Please don’t try to tell yourself that I am or that I could be. I’m not.”

For a few beats, we’re quiet. His words burn.

“Look,” he starts again, moving his face back to mine, “now isn’t the time to think about such things. You’ve been through tremendous stress. Just promise me that what happened tonight won’t make you go from the funny, cool, sweet girl I know to someone more anxious. Find a way to let it go. Remind yourself that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, but by the grace of God, you escaped harm. Don’t let what happened drag you low.”

My eyes water as I stare at him. Because, even though his words and actions are incredibly kind, his eyes are so sad. Tortured even.

“What’s your story, Slade?”

He lets out a dark, contrived laugh. “My story? I went off to fight for our country. Saw lots of crazy shit. And came back.”

“Is that all you’re going to give me?”

“Yep,” he says, the word clipped. “So, why were you looking so upset tonight?”

“And how do you know how I looked?” I questioningly lift my brows.

“I saw you. Watched you with your friends.”

I sigh before swallowing hard. “I just don’t fit in anymore. We used to all be on the same page when it came to having fun and going to great dinners and meeting guys. But, now, they’re all getting married and moving on. And the trouble is, they’re choosing a type of man who isn’t for me. Sanam wants me to marry one of her fiancé’s friends, of course, but I don’t want that. And so, I’m just in the same spot while everybody else is changing.”