Calista's POV
With George and Fred's birthday passing, the next couple of months flew by so fast that I couldn't believe the end of the school year would be coming to an end in less than a couple of months. After the incident that landed George in the hospital wing for nearly two weeks, I would've thought that time would go by painfully slow; however, it was quite the opposite seeing as he went back to being completely normal, almost acting as if nothing had ever happened.
Although I was confident in Madam Pomfrey's ability to heal broken ribs, I had a hard time believing that his mind was doing okay. Every time I attempted to bring up the events of that night, George would either change the subject or brush it off by telling me that he was fine and that I shouldn't worry about him. As much as I wanted and tried to have him talk about it with me, I didn't want to push him over the edge.
Even though Adrian had now been gone for a while, with no word on what exactly he was up to, I still felt as though that chapter of my life was far from over—but just like George had been doing, I avoided thinking about it altogether.
As I now made my way down the busy corridors towards the Great Hall, I quickly caught sight of Fred and Rowan who were both clearly too distracted to even notice my presence as they entered the library, Rowan playfully grabbing at his arm while the widest grin formed on Fred's face.
Although the two of them had yet to really admit anything to one another, it was nice to see Fred in such good spirits compared to how he was with Angelina. After much bickering, Angelina had finally come to an agreement with Fred that they needed a long break from one another. It wasn't without much bitterness coming from her end though, that had me feeling like she wouldn't start something up again—but I held my breath for Fred's sake seeing as his spirits had gone quite up since no longer being with her.
As I entered the Great Hall and made my way towards George, who I saw looking down at a piece of parchment while intently talking to Lee and Wood, he quickly folded it as he now noticed my presence before him.
"Hey...so uh, how was Herbology?" He asked as I sat down across from him, the other two now turning away rather suspiciously all while avoiding my gaze.
"It was fine—is that your mum who's sent you another letter?" I asked, seeing as Mrs. Weasley had been constantly writing to him ever since the incident, but also because George's suspicious actions made me all the more curious.
"Yeah, she's just checking up on me as usual," he said looking down at the note guiltily while he avoided my gaze. "—No, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that...it's not from my mum...it's from Almira."
I felt a sudden knot form in my stomach at his words, a rather unnerving feeling at the sound of her name coming out of his mouth.
Although George had never really spoken to me about her even after the tensions that took place at The Burrow over holiday, he didn't have to say much for me to form an opinion on her.
"Oh, I see...so what did she say then?" I asked, trying to not seem bitter, although I knew all too well that I wasn't doing a great job at it.
"Not much...my father must've let slip what happened. She just wrote to ask how I'm doing...it's really nothing," he said, looking at me as if I would snap any moment. Whilst I felt rather jealous, I really had no reason to, the more I thought about it.
"That was kind of her, I suppose," I said, giving him a small smile to show that I was unbothered by it. As if he was avoiding certain topics, he quickly diverted the conversation elsewhere, continuing this throughout the rest of dinner as we discussed Fred's absence.
As we now headed down to the library for a late study session, I couldn't help but continue to think about the letter. In reality, I had no reason to be distrusting of George—but it wasn't him who I didn't trust, it was her. Although our encounter was kept rather short at the Burrow, I just had an inexplicable bad feeling about her.
Noticing my silence as we continued to walk down the corridors, George quickly recognized what I was thinking about.
"About Almira...her and I are just friends, I swear. We have been ever since...ever since the end of that summer."
The mere mention of his time spent in Egypt with her made me all the more jealous. Even the idea of them being just friends didn't sit right with me, however, the fact that he was being honest and upfront, put me more at ease.
"It's fine George, you don't have to explain yourself...I understand," I said, now attempting to reassure him to which he smiled at, stopping in his tracks to pull me into himself to place a deep kiss on my lips.
As we pulled apart, I now looked up into his longing eyes, realizing how silly I was being in thinking that I had something to worry about.
"Oh look, there they are," he suddenly spoke, nodding his head in the direction of the library to where Fred and Rowan now sat at one of the tables. "Should we eavesdrop?" He asked with a grin on his face.
"We can eavesdrop while studying...c'mon," I said grinning back and pulling him by his arm into the library, deciding on seating ourselves at the same table as Ginny.
As I sat focussed on my homework for the next thirty minutes, with every now and then George and I laughing at how unusually giddy Fred looked next to Rowan, my mind was suddenly brought elsewhere as George began to speak to his sister.
"Ginny, have you seen Errol around anywhere? I haven't been able to spot him after he brought us the post this morning." Ginny simply shrugged her shoulders at his question.
My mind couldn't help but be brought back to the letter yet again, and even worse, the thought of him writing back to her made that earlier feeling of jealousy even more awful.
"You can use Athena if you'd like...you know if you need to send something," I now offered, although George wasn't exactly riveted with the idea.
"No that's fine, thanks though...I'll just look for him in the Owlery later," he said, giving me a small smile and once more diverting the subject elsewhere, as I continued with my homework for the next little while.
"Bloody Snape...I swear I always have to go looking elsewhere with these assignments. It's never in our schoolbook," I said frustratingly, standing up to go search for another book that would hopefully allow me to complete my assignment.
George quickly stood up as well, following me behind one of the many walls of bookcases that stood off to the sides of the room. As I searched intently through the rows of books, my fingers trailing along the spine of each one, I suddenly felt George's two strong hands from behind grab ahold of my waist, pulling my back into him as he lowered his head down to my neck. One of his hands now moved up to push aside the hair from my shoulders to reveal my bare neck, and began to suck down gently on the skin right below my ear, a quiet moan escaping my lips.
"George...this...this isn't a good time to…" I trembled, unable to finish my sentence as his hand slipped down the front of my skirt and roughly began to rub me over my panties, causing me to press my backside along his crotch where he now became rock hard.
A muffled groan came from his mouth as he continued to press himself further into me all while vigorously rubbing up and down my heat with his hand.
"Don't you know to not start something you can't finish, sweetheart?" he whispered in my ear, now removing his hand from out of my skirt and quickly turning me around by my wrist. He now took my hand that he held by my wrist and placed it against his erection, groaning while doing so.
"What are you on about…" I let out, as I followed along his rubbing movements over my hand.
"You know what I'm talking about...teasing me right here in the library all those months ago, the same way you are now with this slutty little skirt...and these…" he said, now dragging the tip of one of his fingers underneath the hem of my stocking, making me gasp as it reached the inner part of my thigh.
"I may not have finished that night, but you certainly did," I boldly said, as I began to grasp at his length firmly, all while looking him in the eyes with a smirk on my face.
"What are you—"
"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," I spoke softly, now placing my hand down his pants and wrapping it around his tip, gently squeezing it as my wrist twisted with each movement. "I saw you when I came back that night...pleasuring yourself while thinking about me."
George quickly got hold of my wrist and pulled it out from under his pants, now staring into my eyes.
"You dirty little…"
As he let go of my wrist, keeping his gaze intently on me, he began to loosen the knot from his tie with one hand until completely pulling it out from his collar in one swift movement. He now aggressively pulled me by the front of my shirt and pushed me against the desk that sat nearest the window, my lower back hitting the edge of it.
"Good luck getting out of this one, sweetheart...now turn around," he said with his tie still in hand. I quickly complied and began to face the desk—however, I wasn't fast enough to his liking, as he now hastily turned me by my hips, forcefully pushing me by my back so that I was now bent over the table.
"George, this really isn't a good idea...anyone can just turn the corner...your brother and sister are here—"
"Well then you'll just have to keep quiet, won't you?" he whispered, lowering his face down to mine as he gripped onto my ass firmly.
He quickly raised himself up again, this time holding my wrists together and placing them behind my back. As I continued to feel his bulge pressed up against me, I suddenly felt fabric wrap around my wrists, now peering my head back to see his hands forming an intricate knot with his tie around them.
Without hesitation, he pulled my panties down from underneath my skirt, letting them drop to the floor around my ankles. I began to squeeze my legs tightly together as he now removed his length from his trousers and began to stroke it as he looked down at me.
"Spit," he demanded, now holding out his hand below my face. I looked up at him hesitantly, inching my mouth closer to his fingers and letting a stream of my saliva fall onto them. Bringing his hand back to his cock, he rubbed his now lubricated hand on it before placing his tip at my entrance and began pushing himself into me.
I bit down hard on my lip before a moan could escape them, as he began thrusting into me with one hand gripping my ass and the other now reaching for a fistful of my hair, making my head stick upwards. His head now reached down to my ear while he continued to plunge into me, the feeling of his lips slightly grazing the back of my neck causing me to let out a quiet whimper.
"I thought I told you to be quiet," he now managed to whisper, holding back on his groans while he continued to yank on my hair, pushing into me with speed. As he began to hit at a new angle inside of me, a quiet whine escaped my lips once again.
"If you can't keep that slutty little mouth of yours shut, I'll have to do it myself," he murmured quietly, now taking his free hand and placing it firmly over my mouth.
With my wrists tied together, along with the firm grasp George now had on both my hair and my mouth, he had full control over me—his hips smashing into me from behind, making me want to cry out in pleasure.
"You enjoy being my dirty little fucktoy, don't you?" he grunted in my ear, as I now began to feel his dick swelling inside of me with each of his deep thrusts. His words only made it harder for me to not moan in his hand, but I knew a response was exactly what he wanted so I refrained from doing so.
"Answer me."
As I continued to lay over the desk with him pounding into me, not caving in to his demands, he suddenly yanked my body up using the grip he had on my hair so that I was now standing upright.
"Did you hear me?" he whispered, pressing his face to my ear as he pulled my hair, forcing my head to turn to the side and look at him while he rammed into me from my upright position. "Nod your fucking head."
Before I could even manage to comply, he released his grip from my hair and wrapped it around my throat instead, both of his large hands now pulling my head back to his chest while he continued to push inside of me. He suddenly replaced the hand over my mouth with his own as he carelessly plunged his tongue in, now noticing he could barely hold in his own moans.
"You better finish soon...I'm not waiting for you this time," he breathed shakily into my ear, the feeling of his cock throbbing in me now telling me he was near his release.
As each of his thrusts now became deeper and more lazy, my walls began to tighten around him, causing him to no longer hold on, his warm liquids now shooting inside of me. Giving himself a few moments before pulling out, he quickly inserted two of his fingers into me and began pumping them in and out until I felt a sudden rush in my core, cumming only seconds later.
With the sound of his zipper closing, I now felt the fabric around my wrists loosen as George untied the knot he had made, finally alleviating the burning feeling around them. He then quickly reached down for my panties that remained around my ankles, now pulling them back onto me before turning me around to face him.
"Alright?" he now asked, fixing my hair as it was disheveled and out of place. I nodded before he reached down to grab my chin and placed a gentle kiss on my lips. As he pulled away to put his tie back on, I began to rub my wrists with each hand, the slight tingling sensation still present. Noticing this, George reached for both of them, now gently massaging them with his thumbs. "Sorry."
"I'm fine," I said smiling up at him before he did the same. "We should get back to studying, don't you think?" I now teased, pulling him by his sleeve to follow me back out from behind the wall of bookshelves before smirking at me.
Before we could make our way back to the table, we looked down towards where Fred and Rowan sat—Angelina now standing in front of them as she continued to speak.
"Don't you think it's been long enough? I mean, you did say it was a break after all," Angelina now spoke with condescension as Fred peered up at her with a nervous look on his face.
"Angelina, I—"
"We'll talk more about it later in the common room, okay?" she said, now focusing her eyes on Rowan who sat frozen out of awkwardness.
"Yeah, okay," he spoke, now seeming frustrated more than anything as Angelina now walked away from the two of them.
I looked over to George who seemed equally as annoyed and frustrated as his twin. Seeing this, I guided him to sit back down at our table, now eavesdropping on Fred and Rowan's conversation.
"So you and Angelina then?" She asked with both sadness and sincerity, to which Fred let out a frustrated sigh.
"I don't see how it's any of your business," he suddenly let out, Rowan clearly taken aback by his rude tone as her expression immediately changed to anger.
"It's my business because you keep sending me mixed signals, acting like you're available when you're clearly not," she said, raising her voice, now gathering the attention from a few other students who sat nearby. Fred looked up at her rather nervously, as she now began to gather her belongings from the table.
"You know Fred, I really don't appreciate being led on. Figure your stuff out before you start confusing me again." With one final glare at him, she picked up her bag and rushed out of the library.
"Nice one, mate," George suddenly spoke, looking at his brother from a few tables away. I quickly shot him a look of disapproval as Fred clearly seemed upset over the whole situation.
"I think I'll go check on her," I said, getting up from my seat before being pulled back down by George.
"But you're supposed to study with me," he said with pleading eyes as he twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.
"Yes, and look where that's got us," I said, smirking at him before giving him a peck on the lips. "Besides, she could probably use someone to talk to right now...and I could use a shower," I now said getting up from my seat once again and gathering my things.
"Hm...I could join you if you'd like," he spoke, trailing his arm up my thigh before I pushed it off and rolled my eyes at him.
"My god...barely five minutes and you already want more," I said teasingly, as I had now finished collecting my belongings.
"It's your fault, really," he smirked. "But I suppose it can wait...it'll give me time to look for Errol."
Right, the letter
I shook the thought out of my head yet again, as I knew it was just me overthinking the entire situation.
"Yeah, you should get to that. You may also want to have a talk with your brother...maybe knock some sense into him," I now said, looking over at Fred.
"Yeah, wish me luck with that...anyways I'll see you later tonight. Try not to miss me too much."
As I now made my way out of the library, I no longer tried to put a stop to my paranoid thoughts as it was now all I could think about.
Why did he seem so eager to send out that letter? Maybe it wasn't even for her...it was probably just for Mrs. Weasley.
Either way, I knew these thoughts wouldn't leave until I got a straight answer from George—which is why I made the decision to ask him about it later tonight, knowing it was the smartest decision.
After having a well needed chat with Rowan in the Ravenclaw common room that night, where she talked to me about how much fun it had been spending time with Fred these past couple of months but that she would no longer allow him to waste her time, I now rested on one of the sofas thinking of the best possible way I could approach George about the letter.
I turned to Rowan who sat across from me, working on one of her assignments in silence, hoping she'd have the right answer.
"Do you think if I asked George about a letter someone had written to him...do you think...I mean how would I ask about it without coming off as neurotic?" I asked, unsure of my own question. Rowan now looked up from her work with a rather quizzical expression on her face.
"Well it all depends, I guess. Who is this person exactly?"
"Some girl he used to be with...I mean, I'm probably just overthinking it right? He said that she was just writing to check up on how he was," I now said in an attempt to reassure myself.
"Yeah, I think you're putting too much thought into it," she now spoke with certainty in her voice. I let out a small sigh of relief as it did make me feel somewhat better; however, it wasn't long lasting as she now spoke again. "It's not like he wrote back to her or anything like that."
Before I could think about it any further, my thoughts were interrupted by a Ravenclaw boy who had now walked into the common room, directing his question at all the students who were in the room.
"Anyone know why there's some tall ginger bloke trying to get into the common room this time of night? He's been standing there trying to guess the riddle for ages now."
I quickly stood up, holding back a giggle as I knew exactly who that would be. I made my way to the entrance of the common room, now realizing this meant that I wouldn't have any more time to think about how I would bring up the letter.
As the entrance now opened, expecting it to be George, I stood incorrect as it was Fred instead.
"Oh, it's you," I said rather annoyedly, having hoped it would be George so I could just get over the conversation I now dreaded to have with him. "Fred, she's told you quite clearly that she doesn't want to speak with you until you've sorted out your issues."
"I know, and I have," he now spoke camly. "I ended it with Angelina...for real this time. She certainly wasn't happy, but I made it clear that we're over," he said, as I now stood there, quite surprised at how fast he had handled it.
"Well don't explain it to me, tell her that," I said now taking a step back and nodding my head for him to come in. "While you two make up, I'm going to head back to see your brother," I said, before making my way down the spiral staircase and heading towards the Gryffindor common room, thinking now would probably be a good time to bring up the letter to George.
As I now made my way down the dark corridors, passing along all the sleeping portraits along the way, my mind was anything but focussed on where I was walking, as I attempted to form what I would say to George.
Within seconds of doing this, I suddenly crashed into a figure—a bright, beaming, light now pointed directly at my face, the two of us now both shouting out of fright.
"Harry!" I shouted in shock, as I now faced the spectacled young boy who seemed just as startled as I was, holding a folded up piece of parchment in his hand. "What on earth are you doing lurking the halls this late at night? Third years aren't allowed out past this time, and as a prefect I really shouldn't be letting you get away with this."
"Might I ask where you're headed off to then?" He retorted, raising his brows before I rolled my eyes in defeat. Before either of us could give in another snarky remark, Harry's gaze quickly shifted to that of the parchment he was holding, the bright light coming out at the end of his wand now pointed at it. "You should go...Snape's headed this way now," he spoke, only confusing me even more, however, I quickly rushed behind the corner of the corridor as I now began to see another light making its way towards us.
Now thinking about it, I don't know why I was so quick to hide, seeing as it wasn't past the curfew for fifth years, however, if I backed out now, it would only seem even more suspicious.
"Mischief managed. Nox." Harry whispered, as I now saw the light coming from his wand begin to die out. Before he could make a run for it himself, Professor Snape suddenly appeared, shining his own wand in the boy's face.
"Potter. What are you doing wandering the corridors at night?" He spoke with suspicion in his voice, as he continued to point the light at him.
"I was sleepwalking," he muttered smartly.
"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He too was exceedingly arrogant... strutting about the castle," the professor now spoke bitterly.
"My dad didn't strut...and nor do I...now, if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you could lower your wand," Harry retorted back with an attitude.
"Turn out your pockets, now." Although I couldn't see quite clearly, I heard the rustling sound of parchment as Harry removed something from his pocket.
"What's this?" Professor Snape asked, pointing his wand down at what the boy was now holding.
"Spare bit of parchment."
"Really? Open it."
As he now unfolded the curious item, the professor held his wand against it before muttering "Reveal your secrets."
"Now, read it," he said, prompting him to do so.
"Messrs, Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs...offer their compliments to Professor Snape and…"
"Go on."
"And request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business." My hand immediately moved to my mouth as I now attempted at stifling in a laugh.
"Why you insolent little—"
"Professor!" Another voice soon came out of the shadows, the light from Snape's wand revealing it to be Professor Lupin.
"Well, well. Lupin...out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?"
"Harry, are you all right?" He asked, before the boy gave him a small nod.
"That remains to be seen," the bitter professor now spoke, snatching the map from Harry's hand. "I have just now confiscated a rather curious artifact from Mr. Potter. Take a look, Lupin...it's supposed to be your area of expertise. Clearly it's full of dark magic," he said, handing it to him, Professor Lupin now looking at it rather curiously.
"I seriously doubt it, Severus. It looks to me as though it's merely a parchment designed to insult anyone who tries to read it," he said laughing. "I suspect it's a Zonko's product...nevertheless, I shall investigate any hidden qualities it may possess. It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise."
"Harry, would you mind heading to my office, please? I'd like to have a word with Professor Snape first...I'll be there shortly." The boy now nodded his head before making his way down the hall, and disappearing into the darkness.
Seeing as I couldn't leave without either of the professors noticing, I remained hidden behind the wall as Snape now began to speak.
"Forgotten to take your Wolfsbane, Lupin?" I furrowed my brow in confusion at his odd statement.
"Perhaps it'd be in your best interest Severus, to not go around revealing my secrets to the students...seeing as you've already been told this by Professor Dumbledore."
"No need to bring the Headmaster into this. Trust me, I've already made my suspicions of your intentions very clear to him."
"Ah, yes...suspicions, Severus. Nonetheless, I'd better be off to discuss more important matters with Mr. Potter. Goodnight, professor."
As the two glared at each other one last time, they both sped off in opposite directions, giving myself a few minutes so as to not run into either of them, before making my way to Gryffindor Tower.
Thinking about the rather short confrontation that had just happened, I couldn't help but feel confused at all the things both of them had said.
Wolfsbane?
Although Potions was never my best subject, I was almost certain what Wolfsbane was used for. I quickly shook this out of my mind however, seeing as the idea was absolutely ridiculous. Instead, my thoughts went straight back to George, suddenly remembering why I had come down in the first place, as I now began to turn the corners of the halls, quickly reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"You ought to start remembering the password, dear," she spoke; however, quickly allowing my entry into the common room despite the fact.
As I walked inside to see only a few students still up, my gaze shifted to George, who now lay on the sofa with his legs sprawled out, fast asleep. I walked up to him now, sitting at the edge of the couch and shaking his arm gently to wake him from his slumber, but he didn't budge.
"George, wake up," I muttered. "George—"
My gaze suddenly stopped at two envelopes that laid atop the table in front of me, a quill and some ink laying there as well. I quickly noticed one of them having George's name written across the front of it in the exact same cursive from earlier this morning.
I looked around the room before peering back at George's peaceful expression, a wave of guilt coursing through me for what I was about to do.
It was her writing anyways, not his. Besides, he had already told me what she had written about, I just wanted to have a closer look.
I nudged him one last time to make sure he was fast asleep, before grabbing the envelope and pulling out the piece of parchment, biting down on my nail before unfolding the letter and reading it.
Dear Georgie,
It's been too long since speaking to each other, don't you think?
Your father thought to only tell me of what happened just today, which is why I'm writing to you so late. As soon as I heard the news, I ran straight to the nearest parchment and quill I could find.
I'm so sorry to hear about what happened, Georgie. I can't even begin to imagine what that must've felt like. It's things like this that really get you to appreciate what you already have in your life.
I know it must be a difficult subject to talk about, but I'm here for you if you ever need someone to talk to, and I really mean it, Georgie.
Besides all of this, I'm so excited to see you this coming summer. It'll be just like the last, only no pyramids and scorching temperatures!
I really look forward to seeing you soon, and please take my offer into consideration. I always enjoy hearing from you.
Love,
Almira
The knot that once formed in my stomach this morning came back yet again, as this was much more than what George let it out to be. I didn't even know which part of the letter to focus on first.
It'll be just like the last…
Before I could even process it any further, my eyes now guiltily shifted to the other letter that now lay on the table, holding back everything in me to not peak at who it was for. I let my face fall into my hands, now realizing how pathetic I was being.
I'll just have a look at who it's addressed to and nothing more. It's probably not even for her.
As I now reached for the second envelope, my hands trembling slightly, I turned it over to see George's messy handwriting, and the name Almira Loxias, scribbled along with an address. My heart sunk at the sight of her name, now knowing I wouldn't be able to restrain myself from reading the letter. I pulled the parchment from the unsealed envelope yet again, now dreading what I was about to read.
Almira,
It's really nice hearing from you again as well.
I'm sorry my father didn't tell you sooner, although, that's probably my doing seeing as I didn't feel like getting sympathy wishes from everyone.
To be honest, I have found it to be quite difficult dealing with the stress of it all. I haven't talked about it quite much to anyone, really, but I think about the events of that night almost constantly throughout the day.
Honestly, even just writing it out now to you feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest. I really appreciate your kind offer. Maybe when I see you this summer we could talk about it some more.
Again, thank you so much for reaching out to me.
I look forward to seeing you soon,
George
I couldn't put feelings into thoughts at this moment. It was all too much to process and handle right now. After all these months I had tried getting George to open up to me about the events of that night, he had so easily just done so with the one person I wished it hadn't been.
Before I could think any further, George began to stir, making my body jolt in fear, now quickly folding up the letter and placing it back on the table neatly, just as it once was. I made it just on time as I looked back to see him slowly begin to open his eyes, his arms stretching upwards as he let out a yawn.
"Hey...why didn't you wake me?" he asked, now noticing me sitting alongside his legs.
"I just got here now...I was about to," I said, attempting a smile while looking at him.
He now sat up from his lying position on the sofa so that we were now both side by side, rubbing his face with his hands and yawning once more.
Before I could continue to think about the letters, my mind went elsewhere for the first time today, the thought now making me feel extremely guilty. After everything George had gone through just for me, he didn't deserve to be put in the dark. I owed him a chance to admit to me what he had written in those letters.
"So...do anything interesting while I was gone?" I now asked, hoping that he would just tell me that he had written a letter back to her, but he didn't. Instead, he glanced at the letters that sat atop the table, immediately looking away.
"No, not really honestly. I was with Fred and then crashed. Oh, speaking of, did he tell you about everything?" I nodded my head and gave him a small smile, holding off on my emotions right now. "It's about bloody time...hey, are you okay? You seem very quiet."
"Just tired," I said before he began to brush my hair out of my face.
"Me too...let's head up then."
Seeing as George had no intentions on telling me about the letter, let alone how he was feeling, I would simply have to accept the fact that I wasn't the one he wanted when it came to having a shoulder to cry on—someone he felt like could make all his problems go away just by thinking about them.