"You know, you're funny if you think I'm never going to see you again after this," Forrest remarked. "I'm not planning to just pretend all of this didn't happen. I told you that you matter to me. I'm going to make sure you don't forget that."

I didn't know what to feel. I didn't know what to think. It was ridiculously touching to hear him say it, but a new sort of apprehension gnawed at me. A part of me wanted to believe in what he was promising, but there was something holding me back. Maybe he would actually go through with what he was saying, but maybe it would only last for a little while.

If there was anything I learned during my lifetime, it was that things ended. Forever did not exist. Like everyone else, I lost what I never thought I would lose. From people to dreams, they all left me eventually.

When I didn't respond right away, Forrest continued to talk. "Okay, I know it's so easy to say that I'm here for you, but I actually mean it. I know what it's like to have people let me down and it sucks. I don't want to be like them; I don't want to let you down. But . . . I still know that it's possible. Maybe I will disappoint you somehow, but at least, I'm going to try not to."

"Besides," he added, "it would be stupid to think that just one conversation will help you. This is going to take time. I don't expect you to recover just like that, you know?"

"Wait," I interjected, furrowing my brows, "Do you see me as something to fix? Because let me just say: I'm not some broken object for you to put your hands on and attempt to repair."

"No, no, of course not," he cut in, "You're misunderstanding. The last thing I see you as is some broken object." He paused and let out a low sigh. "Man, June, okay, you have to listen to what I'm saying. First of all, I am not doing this out of pity. Not doing this because I feel obligated. And definitely not doing this because I want to fix you. I'm just doing this because you deserve someone to be here for you." His voice dropping, he leaned in a bit, like he didn't want anyone else to hear. "You just tried to end your life. I want to make sure that will never happen again. What kind of person would I be if I just moved on while I know you're struggling? I'm not going to just let you go – you have to let that sink in."

I swallowed, sensing more tears coming. I wanted to say something, but my throat tightened. I turned my head to the side, too slow to catch up with what was going on. Feelings flooded me, feelings hard to explain.

There was a person in front of me. A person who risked his life to salvage mine. A person who was willing enough to help keep me away from suicide's arms. He was someone I never thought existed and someone I would never be able to find again. He was here. Genuine and strong-minded and overwhelming. Fate seemed to be on my side for once because I knew this kind of thing never happened. I didn't understand why, out of the multitudes in need, I was the one to be here. But I did understand that after whatever was going to happen, I would never be the same.

"June?" I blinked at the sound of my name and looked at Forrest. I didn't even notice that he had gotten up. I examined his expression and felt a prickle of guilt. Immediately, I could tell that he was worn-out, but his patience didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. Offering his hand, he told me, "I think it's time we get out of here."

I nodded slowly and reached out. Wrapping my fingers around his, I didn't feel any warmth. In fact, his hand was rather cold. Yet . . . comfort spread through my veins, melting any last trace of unease. It was the way he slightly tightened his grasp as he helped me stand. It was the way he faltered before he released. The touch lasted for a few seconds – in actuality, it was nothing – but the fast beat of my heart begged to differ. I had the strangest urge to take his hand again, but I didn't.

We walked, but before we made it to the exit, Forrest paused and headed over to Perry, who was writing something down at the counter. They exchanged words, but I couldn't hear what was being said. There was a moment where Perry's gaze flickered over to me, but he merely smiled. Once Forrest finished, he came back to me. I gave a small wave to Perry before turning around to leave.

"Bye!" I heard him exclaim. "Feel free to come back, but next time, try to be dry!"

Forrest chuckled while I inwardly groaned. The next thing I heard was the door closing behind us. Minutes later, we were inside of the Corolla, silence falling over us. At first, he and I sat still, unsure of what to say. I had no idea where we were going now. According to the clock, it was already 9:16 A.M. I came to the lake around five and Forrest must have appeared a little later. That meant – if we had arrived to the café by six – roughly three hours had gone by. Hours of intense conversation, far-too-many tears, critical realizations and aggressive emotions. But it didn't feel like it had been that long. Instead, it felt as if everything happened in a blink of an eye.

Finally, Forrest blew out a breath before breaking the quiet. "Okay, so I could bring you home right now. I mean, that's probably the right thing to do." He leaned forward to start the engine. "You must be exhausted and I know you have a lot to think about . . . But the thing is," I glanced at him, "I don't want to."

Right as the words left his lips, a weird feeling shot through me. If truth be told, I was actually glad to hear him say that because I wasn't really ready to say goodbye either.

Although I wanted to respond, I didn't quite know how to so I simply waited for him to continue. "Wow," he eventually said, furrowing his brows, "Wait, I'm not saying that I refuse to take you home. Uh, if . . . if you want to go home then –"

"I don't," I interjected suddenly. He stared at me and blinked.

"Oh," he let out, "All right. Um, then I was thinking . . . maybe we could go to where I live instead." When I didn't answer immediately, he added, "Only if you're okay with that."

I contemplated it. If I had just met any other person a few hours earlier and they asked me if I wanted to go to their place, I – like any sensible person – would decline the suggestion. But I already learned that Forrest was not any other person. Obviously, he wasn't up to anything wrong – I had no reason to be suspicious.

In the end, I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Forrest looked at me closely. "Really? I mean, I just want to change out of these clothes, to be honest. Maybe take a shower too. And you can also – if you want. You can borrow some of my sister's clothes; I don't think she'll mind. After that, we can go someplace else."

His attempt at reassuring me almost made me smile. "Don't worry about it – I'm fine with going to your house." After a moment, I decided to admit, "And I would love to meet your sister."

His brows went up in surprise. "Oh, her name is Ivy Samantha, but you can just call her Ivy. She's sixteen and you know, she can be seriously irritating at times, but I love her, I swear." Forrest paused before tearing his gaze away from me. "Not to be sappy or anything."

A laugh filled the air – my laugh. I couldn't help it; the way Forrest talked about his sister was a bit sweet, and the fact that he was embarrassed made it even more sincere.

"Hey, don't laugh at me," Forrest muttered, but there was a small smile playing on his lips. "I bet you feel the same way towards your siblings."

"Oh," I cleared my throat, "I, uh, don't have any."

"Only child, huh? Well, there must be some perks," Forrest took time to think about it before coming up with something. "Okay, for example, you don't have to share the bathroom. I swear, Ivy takes two years when she's in there. I'm not even sure of what she does, but she has a bunch of products for her hair, skin, teeth, face – it's crazy. And I didn't even mention her make-up yet."

In the middle of him talking, I let out a snort. "Hey, you don't understand because you're a guy. You don't need to put in as much effort on your appearance."

"But neither do girls!" he protested, sounding incredulous. "Like you, I mean. You're completely natural right now, but I don't see anything wrong. And sure, all that stuff Ivy uses does make her look kinda better, but it's really not necessary. Seriously, I can't be the only one who thinks this." Sighing, he then turned his attention to the steering wheel. "Anyway, I should probably start driving now. I think Perry's wondering why my car is still out here . . ."

But I don't see anything wrong.

". . . uh, could you . . ."

Like you, I mean -

"June?"

– I don't see anything wrong.

It wasn't until I felt Forrest's hand land on my arm did I snap out of it. Heat rushing to my cheeks, I blinked at him and noticed his concerned expression. "June?" he repeated. "You okay? You kinda zoned out there."

I slowly nodded. "Yeah, sorry," I stammered out and then lied, "I was just wondering how Ivy looks."

"Oh . . . Since I'm her brother, I think I'm supposed to insult her and say she resembles a monkey or something, but before you give me that look, I have to say that she's actually – unbelievably – pretty."

I covered my mouth, but that didn't stop me from laughing again. "Honestly," I exclaimed, "I can't tell whether or not you're a decent brother."

He pretended to be offended. "Decent? Well, I happen to think that I am a wonderful one."

"Hey, why don't we find out what Ivy thinks?" I suggested. "Come on, I think we've been in this parking lot for"–I glanced at the clock and my eyes widened–"almost ten minutes."

"Hold on, don't blame me – we would be out of here by now if you were paying attention earlier. I was telling you to put in your seat-belt."

"Oh . . . right." I fumbled with the strap before fastening it. The way Forrest watched me, for some inexplicable reason, made me feel highly self-conscious. But I certainly wouldn't make it obvious. "Well, what are you waiting for?" I asked once I realized that he was still looking at me.

He smiled a little. "Nothing," he merely replied. "Nothing at all." With that being said, he finally got the car moving.