Darren ran into Rob twice during the week after the dinner with Jesse and Leah. Both times, Rob had seemed distracted but when Darren asked him if something was bothering him, Rob merely shook his head, replying “Nothing more than normal.” Darren didn’t believe him, but he didn’t push the issue. They might consider each other friends, but given their situations, that was it.
Friends, not bosom buddies who confide our personal feelings to each other.
Then, the following Wednesday night, while patrolling their normal downtown area—without hassling the homeless, most of whom seemed to have fled the area once it got dark—Darren spotted Rob sitting on a low wall surrounding one of the plazas a block over from the mall. Since he was doing the driving, Darren parked half a block away. Telling Z
