He drove for a while, looking like he had the literal weight of the world on his shoulders. Eventually, we reached a downtown parking garage. He went inside and drove all the way to the top, letting us sit on the top level outside. He turned off the car and cleared his throat, looking anxious.

"What was all that?" I asked. "Why on earth does she think I'm your girlfriend?"

"I'll get to that, just... this story starts earlier than that," he explained quietly, and I sighed, leaning ...