With a heavy heart, I bid farewell to my best friend and trudged back inside the house. Rita was still busy cleaning up, but she paused when she saw me approaching. A look of surprise crossed her face before it transformed into a warm smile. "There you are! I was starting to wonder where you'd disappeared off to."

I smiled awkwardly in response. "Yeah, we got caught up talking... anyways, thanks again for letting me hang out here today. It meant a lot." My words were sincere;

she deserved far more than just my gratitude. As I stood there, lost in thought, Rita took the initiative and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it," she said gently. "I'm glad you had fun catching up with Lincoln." She glanced down at her watch before adding, "Oh! Well, I should probably start thinking about dinner soon. Would you like to stay for some?"