It feels like so much time wasted, when they could have had this friendship years ago. One where they catch each other’s eyes and roll at the same moments when they hear stupid things when they’re out and about, where they read the same books, where they realize they’re both history nerds.

It’s a subset of common interests Caroline has never had with any other friend – and she hasn’t actually made new friends in years. The pain of being an adult – and it’s nice to feel understood.

Of course, they couldn’t have been friends like this before, given the whole Michael aspect of it, but better late than never.

And Caroline is very, very glad it wasn’t never.

***

When she goes to visit Kris, she is making silly faces at her best friend’s son as he’s sitting on her knees, and her face freezes into one of the expressions when her friend tells her:

“Just… be careful, okay?”

“Careful?” She makes sure that Jason is completely stable on her lap before arching an eyebrow at her friend.

Who just rolls her eyes. “I know you’re careful with babies.” She nails her with a knowing look. “I mean be careful about this damn straight woman you’re falling for.”

Caroline’s mouth falls open, but no words come out for a few long moments as her face heats. “I’m not falling for Hannah.”

The knowing look doesn’t move at all from Kris’s face. “Sure.” Before she relents and shakes her head. “Just, please. I don’t want to see you heartbroken. Seeing you the first couple weeks after Amanda broke things off,” a nice way to put it, “was so hard. I don’t want you to be going down the same sort of path without any chance of a payoff.”

But Caroline shakes her head, the adamant feeling inside of her is strong. “I’m fine. Everything is normal.”

Kris arches her eyebrows. “Yeah? You’re fine? What did you do last night, then? Since it was a Friday – you know, a date night. Not a babysitting night.”

“I told you, I’m taking a break from dating right now. And, I’ll have you know, I had dinner with my parents after work.” All the truth.

“And then?”

Well. Fine.

Caroline breaks the eye contact with Kris and instead focuses on Jason, deliberately bouncing him.

So, last night may have been a Friday and yes it was one of Hannah’s days off, so she was under no babysitting obligations.

But maybe she’d gone to the movies with Hannah and Abbie after dinner with her parents. She’d promised Abbie that she’d take her to the movies a few weeks prior and, well, Friday evening seemed like as good a time as any.