"I just don't want to lose anyone else I care about and Emily... she's among those people. She matters to me just like all of you guys. I can't just leave her to suffer when I have the power to help her."
The silence that followed Ryan's departure stretched like pulled taffy, growing thinner and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Everyone remained frozen in their positions, processing what had just been said and the abrupt way he'd left after delivering it.
Finally, Christopher broke the silence with an incredulous laugh. "Damn him. Did he really just drop something that emotionally intense and then walk out with a completely straight face like it was nothing?"
"That's Ryan for you," Cindy said with exasperation though fondness, shaking her head. "He has absolutely zero awareness of how his words affect people. He just says what he feels and assumes everyone will handle it fine."
