Page 249 of A Matter of Time

“Hey.”

“Sam. What⁠—”

“Do you still drink tea?”

Weird question. “Yes.”

“Good. How ’bout I make you some?”

“When?”

“Now.”

“I can’t. I’m meeting Aaron. We’re gonna catch up.”

“You left me to go see him?”

“No. I left you because there was nothing else to say. Aaron just got back from Hong Kong and wants to hang out. It’ll be good. I could use the diversion.”

“Because of me.”

“Yes,” I replied honestly.

“I see.”

“I’ll talk to you⁠—”

“Don’t hang up.”

“Why? What’s the point of⁠—”

“I don’t want you to go sit and talk to Aaron Sutter. If you’re gonna sit with somebody, sit with me. I’m the one who wants to talk to you.”

“Yeah, but Aaron just wants to⁠—”

“What happened to ‘some people stay gone’?”

“I guess, in my life, everybody comes back.”

He laughed, and the sound buzzed right through me.

“So I’ll⁠—”

“Listen, lemme see you tomorrow, all right?”

“No. How ’bout Saturday or Sunday?”

“How ’bout Thursday instead?”

“Sam.”

“C’mon.”

“Sam, I’m on my way to see⁠—”

“Yeah, I know. Just call me when you’re done talking to him, all right?”

“No, that’ll be, like, midnight or⁠—”