Chapter fourteen

When we were back in our room, getting ready for our respective dinners, Derek asked me about Samuel. I didn't see any reason to lie.

"I've known him for a while now. We met online, playing a video game. Eventually, we became friends. I was going to be in his part of the country on business, so I asked him if he'd like to go to dinner and he said yes."

"We dated for a few months, and did the long-distance thing, but neither one of us was happy. I was downright miserable. Turns out he felt the same way, but we were such good friends that we were both more upset about losing the friendship. We made a vow to make it work as friends."

"It took some time and it wasn't easy. We had a couple of really nasty fights, but we worked through it. He's been my best friend for a long time now. We used to see each other three or four times a year and talked every day on the phone. When my mom died, well, Samuel got me through it. He's my family, not by blood, but by heart."

Derek nodded, but I could