Dakota nearly teared up, hearing Brian call her Sis. It was the most affectionate thing he had said to her.. ever. Before her father died, she thought Brian was The One. In the turmoil after her father’s death, her many nights spent crying on Brian’s chest were echoed in the tears her mother spent crying over coffee, tea, and old home movies with Brian’s Dad. The two adults had a ‘connection’, as they put it when they broke the news of their engagement to the two teens.

Fortunately, things had gotten awkward. With the parents right downstairs, probably doing things with each other which the two teens desired to do themselves, they both felt uneasy attempting them. When they went out, they always wondered what time to go home. What if they caught the parents? The infatuation fizzled. Their parents’ relationship both drew them apart and glued them together as best friends.

She was going to do this! Brian had faith in her, which was more than enough to power her swollen, tired, oozing arms and legs forward.