"Do you have any idea what you put me through today?"
"I'm... sorry."
"I thought you forgot."
He shook his head. "I thought you changed your mind."
"No."
"I thought you might be dead."
His face fell. "I know."
"And instead of simply meeting me, you made me run around town collecting letters."
That earned a laugh from Sophie.
Adrian looked embarrassed. "I... overdid it."
"Massively."
"Yes."
I was standing close enough now to see the scar near his hairline.
My anger softened. "Why didn't you just come?"
He looked down. It took him several seconds to answer.
I waited.
Finally. "Because you remembered... someone else."
"What does that mean?"
"The person you met."
He gestured awkwardly toward himself.
"That guy walked normally. Talked normally."
I stared at him.
"Adrian."
He looked at me.
"I knew you for three hours."
He gave a faint nod.
"I didn't spend 12 months thinking about your walking speed."
Sophie suddenly became very interested in the kitchen.
"I remembered that you listened to me."
His expression changed.
"I remembered your stupid pigeon argument."
"They're still... underrated."
"There. Clearly nothing important changed."
He laughed. Then his eyes filled.
That almost got me. He looked away.
"You could've just told me."
"I didn't know... how."
