“No,” he said quietly.

“It doesn’t.”

I waited for him to defend himself, but he didn’t.

“I don’t want every hard conversation for the rest of our lives to become that hallway,” he said after a while.

“But I’m not asking you to forget it.

Tell me what you need from me now.”

I looked at Hannah’s picture on the mantle.

“I need you to ask me before deciding what’s best for me.”