I checked out the other boxes and while the quotes on them were undoubtedly touching, I still mostly liked the first one I read. "Have you made up your mind?" Forrest asked, his hands back in his pockets.

"Yeah. How about you – are you getting anything?"

He shook his head. "Maybe next time."

Moments later, as he paid for the puzzle, I struck up a conversation with Frankie. "Do you own this place?"

She glanced at me, nonchalant. "It's my friend's business."

"Oh, well, it's great," Forrest remarked, "We'll definitely be back."

She handed him his change. "Thank you. I, uh, hope you two like the puzzle."

"I already do," I affirmed, and then paused. "Are you still making –"

Frankie cut me off by saying, "No. I stopped. I mean, there's no point, is there?"

"I see." Although I felt a bit bummed out, I forced a small smile. I was sure it looked as fake as it felt. "Well, have a good day."

"You too."

Minutes later, Forrest and I walked out of the shop. By the way the sky was tinged with a burnt-out shade of orange, it was probably around four or five in the afternoon. "Thanks for the puzzle," I muttered, "and for everything else you paid for today."

"No problem," Forrest replied and let out a yawn, "Oh man, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty exhausted. I didn't get much sleep this morning because if I recall correctly, I had to be Mister-Knight-in-Shining-Armor."

I rolled my eyes, but my lips betrayed me. I couldn't stop myself from smiling just a little. "Shut up. You're the one who likes to go places. I didn't tell you to take me anywhere."

"But you enjoyed it anyway."

"Yeah." I couldn't deny it. Today was absurdly dreamlike. How could it go from the brutal darkness that I was terribly familiar with . . . to this? What happened at the lake felt like decades ago. "Hey – by the way – I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

I did my best to choose my words carefully. "Have you thought about . . . how coincidental this whole thing is?" He frowned. I tried to explain. "I mean, I'm not trying to, like, ruin the mood right now, but it's, uh, it's been on my mind. The way you just happened to be at the lake while I was there . . . When does something like that ever happen?" I didn't mean to sound so incredulous. "And did you know that over 800,000 people commit suicide every year? 800,000 people who couldn't be miraculously saved." Why was I bringing this up? "I don't know. It's just crazy how . . . I almost ended up like them."

Forrest stayed quiet for a while. I couldn't quite bring my eyes to him. Something in the air changed, but I didn't regret talking about it. As much as I deeply appreciated how the day played out, it was still so hard to wrap my head around it.

"June," he heaved a sigh, "I . . . I can't – I mean, I'm just a person. We're all just people – trying our hardest to figure out life . . . but if there's one thing I'm truly sure of, it's that it works mysteriously." He stole a few seconds to think about what to say next. "Earlier . . . I was on my way to Vienna because I was in this mood. I needed to be by myself and think about . . . some things. Since I knew it wasn't going to be open yet, I decided to stop by the woods. I've always been drawn to, uh, forests. Maybe it's because of my name or something." I would have laughed, but amusement was the last thing I was feeling at the moment.

He continued. "So there I was, just wandering around, trying not to trip. I've always known about the lake – I used to go swimming there when I was younger – so I guess that's where I was planning to go. But then . . . I saw you standing on the edge and I thought: what the actual hell? I wasn't sure whether or not to leave because honestly, I was scared."

I didn't blame him. There weren't supposed to be any other people there.

"I was about to gather enough courage to go and see what you were up to, but then I heard you crying . . . and the next thing I see is you jumping into the water. I swear to God, in that moment, the terror nearly paralyzed me. All I could think is no freaking way. Before I know it, I'm dragging your body out of the lake, panicking." All of a sudden, his voice changed. His words came out thicker with emotion. "June," he stopped walking, "I will never forget how you looked." I finally met his eyes. The blatant torture in them hit me hard. "I remember thinking . . . I know you. But is it bad that I couldn't remember your name at first?" He exhaled a sharp breath. "I just . . . All I wanted was for you to open your eyes."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

"Because I am so thankful that you didn't end up being one of the 800,000. I'm so thankful that I was there to get you. I can say it a million times, but I don't think you'll ever get it." Forrest's face crumpled in distress. "Look, I know all of this can get overwhelming, but we're here right now, together, and I wouldn't change that for anything else." God. "I'm so thankful you opened your eyes, June."

"Also, as much as it destroys me to say this, even I know that not everyone can be saved. Believe me, if I could, I would help everyone out there, struggling. But sometimes, you don't need someone else to rescue you. Sometimes, you need to be your own hero."

My eyes began to burn and blur. I slowly touched my cheek, finding tears.

Forrest ran a hand down his face, looking ready to drop. "I just wish everyone was okay. Genuinely okay. It sucks to know that there are people who are going through so much that they can't take it anymore. It sucks even more that you're one of them. If only . . ." he trailed off, noticing that I was crying. I didn't even understand why I was. I was so sensitive.

"Oh my God, hey, come here," he reached his arms out and I found myself against his body once again. He, I realized, was a genuine synonym for comfort. "I didn't mean for you to cry."

"It's not you," my words came out muffled. I pulled my head back and wiped my eyes. Get a grip, June. "It's just . . . I had no idea someone could care so much." I groaned. "You are so unbelievably sweet."

Forrest gave a weak smile. "Jeez, June, I think we're a bunch of emotional wrecks. Come on," he broke the embrace but decided to place an arm around my shoulders, "We should get going. We can talk more later."

I allowed him to lead me to his Corolla, my thoughts scattered.

All I could truly focus on was how fate decided to give me this green-eyed miracle . . . and how much I appreciated it.

Thank you, my mind whispered.