At her family barbecue, Nicole laughed in front of…

I sat back down, grabbed my drink, and when her father tried to say something, I cut him off gently. “Don’t worry, sir,” I said. “This isn’t your burden.

It’s mine, and I’ve already made peace with it.”

She looked at me, eyes glossy, voice trembling. “Jake, please, can we talk about this?”

I smiled, but it was not warm. “We will,” I said.

“But not here. Not in front of witnesses.”

Then I took another sip of my beer and looked straight at her cousin, the one who had asked if we were happy. “Guess that answers your question.”

The car ride home felt like driving through fog.

She kept glancing at me, her hands tightening around the steering wheel, waiting for me to explode, but I did not. The silence was heavier than any argument we had ever had. The sound of the tires against the road filled the space between us, but neither of us spoke.