“We have known each other four months.”
“Four very competitive months,” he corrected.
I did not laugh.
Carl folded his hands, and the humor left his face.
I did not laugh.
“I filled out hospital paperwork this morning. Every space marked ‘next of kin’ was blank.” His fingers rested beside the velvet box. “I am asking whether my last chapter can have someone holding my hand.”
I sat across from him.
“You deserve more than pity, Carl.”
“I agree.”
“Then why me?”
“You deserve more than pity, Carl.”
Carl looked toward the bookcase.
“Because you never make kindness feel like charity.”
A quiet ache bloomed right behind my ribs.
I had spent years volunteering beside dying people. I knew the danger of confusing compassion with love.
But whatever I felt for Carl wasn’t obligation. It felt like finding a familiar room in a house I’d never entered.
I knew the danger of confusing compassion with love.
