Bing was tired, and finding it harder and harder to stay cheerful. Which was a pretty serious thing for him.

All the fun of his birthday party was dampened by the fact that he'd hardly had a single minute with Jane. He slumped down on the couch and surveyed the remains of the day's festivities. Fallen streamers, abandoned pieces of cake, glasses half-full of flat champagne. What kind of birthday was it if he couldn't even spend it with his girlfriend? Not that he was entirely sure he could use that term for her. They'd never quite discussed it, but he didn't want to push the issue. People always said he tended to rush into relationships.

And by people, he really meant Darcy and Caroline. Here they came, as if on cue, wearing matching frowns as they entered the room. He used to wonder why they'd never gotten together, alike as they were, but then he realized it was because they were too alike. They had nothing to offer each other that they didn't already have. Instead, they busied themselves with Bing's love life. And much as he usually appreciated their concern and advice, he wasn't in the mood tonight.

"Hey, guys," he said, getting up. "I'm really beat. You sure know how to throw a party, Caroline. I think I'll give Jane a call and get straight to bed."

"Sit down, Bing," Darcy said quietly. "You need to hear this."

Wow, he looked serious. So did Caroline. This was getting kind of weird. "Can it wait till the morning? I can barely keep my eyes open."

"I'm afraid not."

One thing Bing had learned through lots of experience – it was better not to protest when Darcy had that look on his face. With a resigned sigh, he sank back down to the couch. Darcy and Caroline pulled up chairs and planted themselves in front of him like they were staging an intervention. He squirmed a little, recalling the last time this had happened. Darcy discovered one of Bing's friends – supposed friends – had been planning to stage an identify theft and make off with a good chunk of Bing's bank accounts. You're just too trusting, Darcy had said, more sad than angry. Bing knew he was right, but he just couldn't bear the alternative.

"Bing, you've expressed doubts about your relationship with Jane," Darcy began soberly. "You've feared that she wasn't as invested as you were. I'm afraid that your fears are well-founded."

Something twisted unpleasantly in Bing's stomach. "What do you mean?"

"Jane is not the devoted, adoring girl you thought she was," Caroline said, reaching out and squeezing Bing's hand.

He didn't even know how to respond to that. What could they possibly be talking about?

"Before today, I had already observed Jane responding favorably to other men's advances when you weren't with her," Darcy went on, "I had seen smiles, laughter, other flirtatious gestures. But I wished to give her the benefit of the doubt, acknowledging that I could be misinterpreting things somehow."

"Honestly, Darcy," Caroline said, "sometimes you can be just as naïve as Bing."

Darcy's mouth twisted in a subtle, sardonic smile. "I assure you I am as cynical at heart as I ever was."

"Now, wait a minute," Bing broke in. "This doesn't make any sense. Jane wouldn't flirt with other guys. I mean, we never exactly sat down and agreed to be exclusive, but she wouldn't – she's just not like that. I know her."

"You've known her less than five months," Caroline said, "and you're a wealthy, attractive man on track to begin a prestigious medical practice. Many women would happily play the part of adoring girlfriend to snag a prize like that."

"Not Jane."

"No?" She glanced at Darcy significantly.

Darcy cleared his throat. "Bing. Today, at your party, I saw Jane engaged with another man. They were kissing."

Bing sat there numbly, unable to find words. Some kind of haze seemed to have overtaken his mind. Jane. Kissing someone else. No. Darcy must have been confused. But how would you imagine kissing where it wasn't actually happening? Jane. He'd kissed her hand, her cheek, her forehead, but they hadn't shared any real kisses yet. He respected the fact that she was the kind of girl who liked to take it slow when it came to physical affection. At least he thought she was. No, she was. Wasn't she?

"It must be a mistake," he finally said, because he had to protest, had to deny it. "She wouldn't – she wouldn't. Maybe it was one-sided."

"I'm sorry." Darcy shook his head. "It was reciprocal. She didn't protest or try to push him away. Bing, she was smiling."

That word, that final word, was the one that broke him. Smiling.

He stood up, talking without really knowing what he was saying. "I have to go. I have to – I'm going to sleep." Maybe he'd wake up and find it was all just a nightmare. Maybe he'd sleep for a year and everything would be better then, somehow. He had never felt such a desperate need to run, to get away from Darcy and Caroline's sad, serious faces, from reality, from everything.

"Bing," Caroline said, getting up and touching his arm. He shook it off, dazedly.

"I'm going to sleep," he fumbled out again.

Nothing was better in the morning.

Darcy and Caroline were still there, insisting that he talk about it. And there was his phone, telling him he had several texts from Jane. Jane, as sweet and innocent as ever. She was saying she might stop by his place sometime that day. He wanted so much to reply, to pretend everything was normal and fine. Instead he sat down at the breakfast table, poured himself a cup of coffee and asked his sister and Darcy, "What am I going to do?"

Darcy frowned. "I should think that would be obvious."

"Let's just pretend it's not," Bing said with uncharacteristic sarcasm.

"Very well. You need to talk to Jane. Explain that you've learned of her indiscretions, and that you cannot continue this relationship unless you can agree upon certain parameters –"

"No. No way am I confronting her like that," Bing said, setting his cup down so hard it splattered coffee everywhere. "You make it sound like – like a business transaction. Like I should bring a team of lawyers with me, or get her to sign a contract." His breathing was starting to get frantic. "I can't do it like that! This is ugly enough as it is."

"What would you prefer to do?"

Bing buried his face in his hands, then looked up in misery. "I think I just want to get out of here."

He expected Darcy to put up a protest, to insist that he follow his advice. Instead, he nodded and said, "If that's what you wish."

"We can leave today," Caroline said, offering a solicitous smile. "Anything to protect my brother from more pain."

They were very kind to him all day and the next while they packed up, flew to LA and left the summer behind. A part of him wished they had been cruel and let him go on thinking Jane was everything she pretended to be.