Liz made a thoughtful sound as she looked down at her fingers in her lap, playing with them. It seemed like such a normal conversation that she had to think about what was said, exactly.

"We talked about the rain. Then he said if I stayed wet I'd get hypothermia. And then he asked if it snows here and I asked him if he missed it... You know, I think something happened to him that he hasn't really spoken to anyone about. I think it bothers him. So I told him if he ever needed to talk to someone I'd listen." Because that's what friends did. "And then he called me nice or something and the next thing I know...

She pressed her lips together. "I didn't know it was going to happen. If I did I'd have left a long time before, I promise."