After joining Elizabeth and her family for an early dinner, William had thoroughly enjoyed sitting with the women and listening to them share stories from their past. It had always calmed him to be around them all since he had first met Elizabeth in college. Her family just exuded the kind of love that made him feel at home.

When he noticed Diane growing tired, though, he knew that it was time for him to leave. After an extended round of goodbyes and his solemn promise to come for dinner again the following week, he walked out into the darkness. He reached his car, shocked to see Nathan leaning against it.

“William,” his friend said, his expression making it clear that this was the last place he really wanted to be. Nathan hated the thought of having to apologize to William, but after talking to Elizabeth he knew that it was what he needed to do.

“What are you doing skulking in the dark like a stalker?”

“I needed to talk to you.”

“And it couldn’t be done over the phone?” William didn’t want to fight again, especially in front of Elizabeth’s house. It was a small neighborhood and he knew that everyone would hear them if they started yelling at each other.

“No, I needed to face you to say this,” Nathan explained, trying to gather the strength and humility to offer the necessary apology.

“So you stalked out Liz’s house and waited for me?”

It was not like Nathan to do such a thing. He liked to handle things in a more civilized way. Lurking in the dark was not his usual move. But Elizabeth’s reappearance in his life had obviously shaken his world to the core.

“She told me earlier that you would be here tonight.”

“Ah, so you’ve been visiting her.” Though William was angry with his friend, he knew in his heart that the best thing for him and Elizabeth was to find some sort of common ground. She was going to need all the emotional support that she could get as she helped her mother and Nathan had always been the person who was best at understanding her.

“We’re friends,” Nathan said, the words feeling foreign in his mouth.

“Really?” William’s eyebrows shot up. He was curious how that had come about since their last conversation.

“Okay, I want us to be friends and she agreed to try.” Nathan allowed his vulnerability to show to his oldest friend.

“She’s always been forgiving.”

“That she is,” Nathan agreed, her smiling face suddenly flashing in his mind.

“Why do you want to be her friend?”

“I’ve missed her.” There was something about standing there in the darkness with William that made it easier to share his true feelings.

“We all have.”

“It’s hard not to.”

“Why are you here?” William’s confrontational tone was replaced by one of curiosity.

“I needed to apologize to you,” Nathan said with a reluctant sigh.

“You really came here just to apologize to me?” William stammered.

“I was afraid that if I didn’t come here tonight I’d take the extra time to convince myself that I was right and that I didn’t really owe you an apology.”

“What made you decide that you should apologize in the first place?”

“Liz told me how much having you around has meant to all of them.”

“I just want to help.”

“I get that.”

“I’m glad.”

“You were right.” Nathan’s eyes shifted from William to Elizabeth’s house behind him.

“I usually am.” William smirked.

“Don’t get cocky.”

“That’s pretty much my default setting, buddy.”

The atmosphere between them relaxed as both of them chuckled.

“I guess I should know that already.” Nathan was relieved to be able to speak to William like nothing had happened.

“You were saying something about me being right…”

“Yes.” Nathan wished that was all he had to say but he knew William well enough to know that he would want a full apology.

“Go on.” William grinned at him like the cat that got into the cream.

“You were right when you said that she needs emotional support. They all do.”

“And so you came here to give it to her.”

“I came here to check on her. When she told me how much she appreciated your help, I realized you were right. I need to be there for her as more than just her mother’s doctor.”

“Because you love her.” William’s words were not a question. He stated them as a fact because he had no doubt that his friend had never stopped loving Elizabeth.

“Because she’s my friend,” Nathan answered defensively. Admitting his love for Elizabeth to William was not something he could do because he had not yet faced it himself.

“How can you not love her? You who’ve been lucky enough to know what it feels like to have her love you back.”

“You really do love her, don’t you?” Nathan realized for the first time that what William felt might be more than just an attraction to Elizabeth’s lovely face.

“I don’t think anyone could know her and not love her. I think I’ve loved her since the first time I saw her,” William admitted, tired of holding it inside. He remembered the warmth radiating off of her as she took a seat next to him in their freshman biology class. “I would have asked her out on the spot if she hadn’t been so quick to mention her boyfriend Nathan.”

Nathan swallowed hard. This incredible woman had chosen him and her biggest dream had been to stay with him forever. And what did he do? He ruined everything. Overwhelmed by the realization that he had never truly deserved her love, he felt his chin tremble.

“I’m sorry I said such harsh things to you about it.” Nathan knew what it felt to hold such feelings at bay.

“I don’t blame you for feeling jealous. I’ve never acted on my feelings, though. I need you to know that.”

“It’s not jealousy that I feel.”

“Really?” William didn’t ask so that Nathan would tell him. He already knew the truth. It was Nathan who needed to realize why he had reacted as he did.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to call the emotions I felt.” Nathan ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“You really need to face what you’re feeling before it’s too late for you both.” Though William did love Elizabeth, he loved her enough to know that her heart had always belonged to Nathan.

“It’s already too late,” Nathan whispered, a sudden shiver running through him at the thought that he had lost her.

“I doubt that.” William knew from Elizabeth’s reaction to Nathan that her feelings for him were not something she had left in the past, no matter how much she wanted to believe she had.

“I just hope we can be friends,” Nathan tried to convince his friend and himself. “Do you think she plans to stay here for good this time?”

“She’s not going to stay.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“There are two outcomes to all of this and they both end in her leaving.”

“What are those?”

“Her mom gets better and she goes back to her travels or her mom passes away. If Diane does die, Liz will stay until she thinks Kate is all right. Then she’ll leave again,” William explained, knowing that Nathan would be even more upset to see her go than him.

Nathan kept hoping that she wouldn’t fly away again. “She seems so happy to be home.”

“Liz can’t be happy here.”

“Why not?”

“Because the future she saw for herself here is dead and it hurts her,” William snapped, frustrated that Nathan couldn’t see that.

“Did she tell you that?”

“She didn’t need to. I can see it in her eyes. Her ghosts get a little too close to catching her when she’s here.”

“I hate that,”

“You can’t change the past.”

“Maybe we can change the future,” Nathan said.

“I hope so. The thought of going years without seeing her isn’t exactly a pleasant one.”

“At least you’ve talked to her and seen her a few times since she left.”

“Maybe you will too after she goes again. After all, you’re friends now,” William pointed out, his expression hard to read.

“It’s all such a mess.”

“Yes, it is, brother.” William pulled his friend into a hug and patted him on the back.