Peter gave her hand a squeeze. “This is special, Tess. Seeing you again is a wonderful treat. And you know me, I wouldn’t have been comfortable at anyplace fancy. I, uh, hope that your - that Ian is okay with this.”

Tessa shrugged. “I didn’t have a chance to talk to him, just a quick text. But I can’t imagine why he would mind. He knows how much you mean to me, how close you and I were. Besides, it’s not like I have to check in with him about my every move, you know.”

“I know,” he assured her gently. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just - well, I’m guessing he’s pretty possessive of you. He didn’t waste a whole lot of time before asking you to marry him, after all. Not that I blame him, of course.”

She took a sip of her tea. “He is possessive,” she acknowledged. “But not controlling. There’s a big difference. It was his idea, for example, for me to get my degree. And he’s been teaching me lots of different things about the company and business in general. Ian is a good man, Peter. The very best. And he’s been good to me in so many ways, not just materially.”

“I didn’t mean to imply anything negative, Tess. Or that he thought of you as a possession or his plaything. You know I always used to tell you how smart you were, and how crazy it always drove me when you thought less of yourself. And I know just by looking at you how much that’s changed. You look confident and self-assured and really, really happy. And I know your fiancé is largely responsible for all that. So I would never think something like that about him, especially not when he’s helped transform you like this.”

Tessa nodded. “Okay. I just didn’t want you to think that Ian tries to control me or anything. I mean, he is a very controlling man, but mostly in business. At home, he and I are equal partners. He’s gone out of his way to stress that since our very first date.”

Peter tactfully changed the subject after that, asking about the classes she was taking at college this semester. Their lunch arrived, and over sashimi and miso soup, they chatted for almost two hours - about Peter’s job and the places he’d traveled on assignment; Tessa’s own business travels and the sort of work she did for Ian on those trips; the plans she’d made thus far for the wedding. She hesitantly asked if he ever kept in touch with his mother, and was met with an emphatic shake of his head.

“Are you still having sessions with that therapist?” she asked tentatively.

He nodded. “We still Skype two or three times a month. It’s - he’s helped. Continues to help. I still have a long way to go, but at least the nightmares are starting to ease up. I’ve actually been able to sleep through the night as of late.”

Tessa placed her hand on his forearm. “And you haven’t flinched even once when I’ve touched you today,” she teased. “So I would definitely say you’re improving!”

Peter laughed, and they continued chatting easily about their new lives, the lives they had made without each other.

“This is what you always wanted, isn’t it? To travel around the world, meet different people, write their stories.” She sighed. “And if it hadn’t been for me, you would have already been doing this for years now. You wasted a lot of time sticking around just for the sake of taking care of me. I’m so sorry, Peter. Sorry that I was so needy and stupid and helpless. Sorry that you had to put your dreams on hold for a silly girl you got stuck with somehow.”

He gave her a stern look. “I thought we’d agreed that you were over all of that insecurity bullshit, that you’d stopped demeaning yourself that way. And if I hadn’t wanted to stick around as long as I did, Tess, I wouldn’t have done it. To be honest, I think a big part of the reason I stayed was because I was too afraid of failing if I tried to follow my dreams. Afraid that I couldn’t do it after all. Or, worse, that I’d realize it was all a mistake and that I didn’t want to be a journalist after all.”

“But neither of those things happened, did they?” she reminded him. “You’ve been doing a great job from what I gather, and you seem happier than I’ve ever seen you.”

“I am,” he agreed. “But who’s to say it would have turned out that way if I hadn’t taken the time to get my degree, grow up a little, gain some confidence. I’m a big believer in fate, Tess, and that everything happens for a reason.”

She smiled at him fondly. “You sound like Ian now. He’s always talking about fate. And how he and I were always meant to be together.”

“He’s right,” insisted Peter. “I told you more times than I can remember that you deserved a man in your life who could give you all the things you deserved - love, a normal marriage, a family. And from everything you’ve told me, he’s given you all that and more. So there’s fate for you right there, Tess. If I hadn’t stayed with you all those years, we might never have moved to San Francisco, and you wouldn’t be with Ian now. Things happen for a reason sometimes, Tess, and the two of us are prime examples of that.”

She walked the two blocks to his hotel with him, rationalizing that it would be easier for her to get a taxi there.

“How long are you in town?” she inquired, belatedly realizing they hadn’t really touched on the subject of his conference.

“Four nights. I fly back to New York on Friday, and will be there for about a week meeting with some people at the agency. Then I’m heading to Morocco for a few weeks to cover a story there.”

“Will we - do you think we can get together again during your stay?” she asked. “I’m sure your schedule is pretty packed at this conference, but can you get away for lunch or dinner one day?”

“Maybe. I’ll know more when I review the full agenda. Can I text you when I know the details?”

She nodded. “Absolutely. I’d love some more time to catch up. I - I know you’ve kept your distance this past year, Peter. First to force me to look out for myself, and then because of Ian. But, well, you were my best friend for over seven years as well as my husband, and it makes me sad to not hear from you very often. Do you think - can we maybe try to do a better job of that from now on?”

He smiled at her fondly. “Of course we can,” he assured her. “And I admit to intentionally not keeping in touch, for the exact reasons you just stated. But as long as your fiancé doesn’t mind, then I’d like to email and such more often.”