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You had a hunch. Sometimes that means something.”

“And sometimes it’s just basic biology. She’s hot. Killer hot.”

“That’s not what counts, and half the time a person notices that, but then

it passes. You can be attracted to someone, but if there’s no spark and

nothing special there, it’s just this infatuation that is fleeting. It doesn’t have

any deeper meaning. There aren’t any heartstrings involved. Does that make

sense? At least, that’s how I felt. I knew lots of people and met lots of

people and was attracted to people before I met Amy, but the first time I

saw her, I felt like I’d been run over by a bus or something. It came out of

nowhere and it scared me shitless because I’d never felt anything like it.”

“So, in short, you felt battered and constipated.”

“Very funny.”

This time, Romi gave her brother a real smile. “I know, Jack, but it’s not

that simple. There are things…”

“That can be worked out if you both really want to. I would just talk to

her. Find the time. If she shuts you down, at least you’ll have your answer

and you can figure out what you want to do. Pretend like it never happened,

call it a fluke and think about it with semi-fondness, get a new job,

whatever. But if you truly think you can’t forget her or get her out of your

head, then I think you should put it out there that you’re at least available to

try to help. We never know what someone else is going through or their

past.”

“I can’t be just friends with her. That would never work.”

“I’m not saying be friends. I’m saying reach out. Start the conversation.

Nothing can happen either way unless you take that first step.”

Romi would say she’d done far more than take a first step already. She’d

pretty much closed her eyes and leapt straight off some very tall object

without fully knowing if there was a safety net below or not. She’d jumped.

Trusted. And pretty much fallen smack on her face.

But that didn’t mean that Jack wasn’t right. She had run away. Maybe it