“Kaia, look at me,” I say, tilting her chin up with my finger. “You’re an incredible fucking friend to Elio. And even if he’s going through something right now, it’s not your fault. Okay?” “Yeah,” she mumbles, eyes downcast. “Tell me you know it’s not your fault.” I don’t want her to blame herself for something that might not even be true. And I sure as hell don’t want to see her cry anymore, especially not when I’m the cause of it.
