“Ok, I’m starting to get tired of this,” Gina complained, pressing the “spacebar” button on Olivia’s computer. She had found her friend lying in bed, listening to George Michael’s “Careless Whisper”. “Why was your front door open again?”

“Because, it’s too far from my laptop,” Olivia said, annoyance ringing in her voice.

“Don’t you think it’s time you put this behind you?” Gina used a firm tone. “It’s not healthy, Liv.”

“Cocaine is not healthy.” Olivia murmured, sitting up. “This is just me mourning.”

“For too long,” Gina replied, putting a little force in her voice; “for way too long. I’d like to see my friend again. She used to be a pain sometimes, but I liked her. Any idea where she is? Because, I still don’t see her. Plus, I’m still a little mad at her for not telling me about that check.”

“I’m right here, Gina,” Olivia maintained, bringing her knees up to her chest. “I was too ashamed to talk to you about it. I should have told him too, the moment he walked into that bar. Why didn’t I just do that?”

“Only you can answer that question, my dear,” Gina made her voice sound sweeter. “My best guess? You liked him too much.”

“That doesn’t justify anything,” Olivia uttered, her voice low and weak.

“We’ve had this conversation a million times already,” Gina protested. “Why don’t you try to get used to the fact that you two are over?”

“Because I still believe we can be together again.” Olivia’s voice shattered, as she raised her eyes to meet her friend’s. “Maybe it’s just wishful thinking; I don’t know. All I know is that I had to give it one last try.”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“I sent him a letter by way of Helen.” She replied softly, her voice a tender whisper as tears welled up in her eyes. “

“With the Shandaken girl?!” Gina exclaimed. “Jesus Christ, Liv! You barely know her!”

At that very moment, they were interrupted by the annoying noise of her apartment buzzer.

“Please go get that,” Olivia requested. “That must be her.”

“Oh, good God,” Gina gave an exasperated huff.

“I’m not expecting you to understand, Gina,” Olivia thought to herself, leaving her bedroom. “You’ve been my best friend all my life, but you’re so goddamn unsentimental it makes me want to scream. I keep asking myself what you’d do if you were in my shoes. But then, I realize you just can’t. You wouldn’t let your guard down like I did. That’s not who you are.”

“Hey, you guys,” Helen chirped, the broad smile on her face bringing a glimmer of hope to Olivia’s heart. “Traffic was crazy.”

“No kidding,” Gina hummed.

“I heard that,” Olivia glared at her. “She’s been to Shandaken and back twice in the past 24 hours. Cut her some slack, will you?”

“Sorry,” Gina said.

“Thanks for coming over, Helen,” Olivia said softly as she put her arms around her new friend. “Did you see him?”

“Yes, I did.” Helen sighed. “I gave him the letter. It went a lot better than I hoped.”

“What do you mean?” Olivia shivered with anticipation.

“If he didn’t…” Helen faltered, “care, he would have ripped that letter to pieces. He didn’t; he read it right there in front of me; and he cried. I felt so embarrassed; I’ve never seen a man cry.”

“What did he say?” Olivia waited with bated breath for Helen’s answer.

“I’m sorry, honey,” Helen whispered, exhaling deeply. “He’s still mad at you.”

A gasp of despair left her lips, as she put her hands to her temples.

“Don’t be sorry, Helen,” Olivia muttered. “I’m the one who should apologize for putting you through all this trouble. You’re wrong, though,” she added, sliding her hands down her face. “He’s not mad at me; he’s mad at the world.”

“You’re right about that.” Helen shook her head.

“Mad at the world?” The mocking tone in Gina’s voice grabbed their attention. “What kind of nonsense is that? He’s just a grumpy, antisocial moron if you ask me.”

Olivia preferred to bite her lower lip, unwilling to dignify her friend’s remark with a rebuttal. Helen leaned over her and whispered in her ear:

“When was the last time she got laid?”

Olivia couldn’t stop the fit of laughter that her friend’s question brought on. She burst out giggling, slapping her palm at her forehead.

“What did she say about me?” Gina attempted a stiff tone.

“Nothing,” Olivia chuckled. “She just said you needed to lighten up.”

“No, I don’t.” Gina declared, crossing her arms over her chest.

“James is not antisocial, Gina.” Helen spoke in a calm, steady tone. “Maybe he’s a little weird, maybe kind of touchy, but antisocial? No. I’ve known him for a long time. My folks own a supermarket in Shandaken. Every time he walked in, he acted like someone was chasing him. I don’t think he ever spent more than five minutes in there. Once, I asked him about it. He said he was too busy to linger there. When I asked him what he did for a living, he looked like he’d seen a ghost. He just ran away.”

“That sounds a lot like him.” Olivia commented.

“You shouldn’t lose hope just yet.” Helen rubbed her on the shoulder.

“Nothing I say gets through to him.” Olivia sighed. “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Because I’m involved,” Helen winked at her. “Now, listen to me very carefully.”