and texted Jack. The day was long. It dragged on, not because she wasn’t
 
 busy, but because she couldn’t control her racing thoughts or stop the
 
 deluge of memories that led to confusing sensations.
 
 Romi: Are you busy tonight? I need to talk. But only if you’re free.
 
 Jack was always near his phone, and in a minute, her screen lit up. Amy
 
 has a painting lesson every Monday night, but I guess that you already
 
 know that.
 
 Romi: I guess I did.
 
 Jack: She’s getting groceries after, so I guess I have nothing better to
 
 do than order pizza and talk to my sister.
 
 Romi: Thanks a lot. You know just what to say to make me feel
 
 better.
 
 Jack: You bet I do.
 
 Romi sagged back in her seat and put her phone in her purse, which was
 
 resting on the passenger seat. She could have texted one of her friends, she
 
 had a lot of them, but for some reason she’d always kept her love life to
 
 herself. Okay, to herself and Jack. Maybe because he was the first one she
 
 came out to. It wasn’t that her friends didn’t know or that they didn’t accept
 
 her. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was just that her love life felt
 
 a little bit sacred and private and she didn’t usually talk about it with
 
 anyone. She’d always kind of thought that choosing one friend over another
 
 to talk to would only create secrets and gossip and hurt feelings.
 
 So, she always just ended up spilling to Jack. She knew he would accept
 
 her, no matter what. If she needed an ear or a shoulder or someone to lean
 
 on, he was always there. She knew that, no matter how much he liked to
 
 bug her. That was just what brothers did.
 
 She was physically tired from a day spent lifting and moving heavier
 
 objects, cleaning and rearranging, but she was mentally exhausted as well.
 
 Or maybe that fell under the emotionally spent category. Maybe it was all
 
 of the above.