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“What’s wrong?” I asked, reaching out to her and then yanking my arms back. She was upset and definitely didn’t want me to touch her right now.

“I don’t know why I’m crying?” she said, raising her hands in the air in bewilderment. “What is happening to me?”

Gently, like I was approaching a baby deer, I walked toward her and then ushered her to the couch, getting her to sit down. I grabbed a box of tissues and passed them to her.

She sniffled and wiped her face and I tried not to throw up. A kiss could change a hell of a lot, but this seemed like an extreme reaction.

“I’m fine,” she said through gulps of air. “I really am.”

She didn’t seem fine, but I waited until her tears had slowed.

“Can I get you anything?” I asked. Whatever she wanted right now she could have it.

Delaney shook her head. “No, I’m okay.”

She wiped her face and blew her nose. “Oh my god, I don’t even know what that was. Give me a second.” Getting up, she went to my bathroom and shut the door.

Okayyyyy, what the hell was happening?

I waited for Delaney to come out, trying to understand the events of the last few minutes. And it had only been a few minutes.

Delaney came back out with her face a little damp, as if she’d washed it. Her face was still red, and her eyes were puffy.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked, wanting to go to her so badly that I clamped my hands on the edge of the couch to stop myself.

She shrugged, letting out a little humorless laugh. “I don’t even know.”

Things were awkward after that. Neither of us could figure out what to say.

Finally, I asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

She pressed her lips together and shook her head.

Okay, that was a no.

She didn’t seem to want to leave, though, and I thought about what she’d said last night. That she was lonely. I knew she spent a lot of time with her best friend and boss, but she’d been living with Connor, and him moving out had been abrupt after the cheating. It made sense that she would miss having someone around, even if the last someone had been my asshole brother.

It was fine with me if she wanted to hang out.

“Are you supposed to go see your parents?” I asked her, and her eyes went wide.

“Oh shit. I am. But I don’t know if I can. Fuck.”

She grabbed her phone to check the time.

“You could tell them that something came up and you needed to help a friend.”

Her eyes met mine and she seemed to relax just a little. “I can’t lie to them.”

“It’s not really a lie. You did help me by giving me a ride.”

I was excellent at coming up for excuses not to see your family. I had so many I could probably write a book of them.

Delaney bit her lip.

“Your parents will understand. Just say you’ll go later, or that you’ll make it up to them.”