“Because,” I said, “a grown-up I trusted told me, over and over, that you needed space, that coming around would make things harder for you.

And I believed her, because I didn’t want to make anything harder for you.

And I was wrong, Ollie.

I was so wrong, and I am so sorry, and being wrong about that is the biggest mistake of my whole life.” He was quiet a while.

Then he said, small, “I thought we were bad.

I thought that’s why nobody came.” And I had to put my hand over my mouth for a second before I could answer.

“No,” I said.