"He left after your brother cornered you both and said awful things. That's not the same as choosing to leave you."
I close my eyes. "Then why hasn't he called?"
"I don't know. Maybe he needed to think. Maybe Connor got in his head. But you know what I do know? That man is gone for you."
"You don't know that."
"I absolutely know that. Lucy, I've been your best friend for fifteen years. I have never, not once, seen someone look at you the way Ryder looks at you."
The memory surfaces. Ryder's face above mine in the lamplight. The way his expression shifted between hunger and something softer, something that looked almost like reverence.
"Really?" I whisper.
"Really. So maybe Connor's right that you fall fast. Maybe you do ignore red flags sometimes. But you know what else? You love with your whole heart. You give people the benefit of the doubt. You believe in second chances and happy endings."
"That sounds like a terrible personality trait."
"That sounds like the best personality trait." Natalie's voice softens. "Don't let your brother or anyone else convince you that loving fully is a weakness. It's not. It's the bravest thing you do."
When we finally hang up, I feel wrung out but steadier. I check my phone one more time. Still nothing from Ryder.
But Natalie's right. One day of silence doesn't mean anything.
Or maybe he's done.
The thought sends a spike of panic through me, but I breathe through it. I've survived heartbreak before. I'll survive it again if I have to.
There's a soft knock on my door. "Lucy?" Emma's voice. "Can I come in?"
"Yeah."
She slips inside and sits on the edge of my bed. "Connor feels terrible."
"Good."
"Lucy."
"What do you want me to say, Em? That it's fine? That he didn't mean it?"
"He thinks you're fearless," Emma says. "And it scares him."
"That's the same thing Natalie said."
"Because it's true. Connor needs control. He needs plans and predictability. You're the opposite. You dive in headfirst. You feel everything intensely. You take risks."
"You make it sound like a good thing."
"It is a good thing." Emma's expression is fierce. "Lucy, you're the bravest person I know. You moved here after a bad breakup. You built a life from scratch. You took a chance on something uncertain because it felt right."
"But what if it doesn't work out?" I ask. "What if I'm wrong about Ryder?"
"Then you'll deal with it," Emma says simply. "But at least you'll have tried. At least you'll have gone after something that made you happy instead of staying small to make other people comfortable."
I think about that. About all the times I've made myself smaller, quieter, less.
"Now here's what you're going to do," Emma continues. "Tomorrow, you're going to text Ryder and ask if he's okay. Not accusatory, not needy, just checking in."
"And if he doesn't respond?"
