It was the question I was hoping wouldn't come. I didn't want to lie. I didn't want to tell the truth either. I couldn't stand the thought of him looking at me differently if he knew the truth about me. I didn't want to risk what was forming here.

Partial truth was still the truth, right? I could give him some truth without all of the facts.

"My brother passed away a couple of months ago. That guy was just a friend of my brother, he's not handling his grief very well. Everyone ...