You tell him you’re seeing someone. You try to keep it light. Ross just nods slowly, like each second is weighing down his ribs. “That’s cool,” he says. And then— “No, it’s not. I lied. It’s fucking awful.” He laughs, but it’s hollow. “I was trying to play it safe. Not ask too many questions. Not ruin the almost we had. But now you’re handing your ‘almost’ to someone else and I’m just—” He cuts himself off. “I thought I had time to matter more than I did.”