Bramblepoint Will it ever stop

There was nothing but understanding in her eyes as they read the words from his lips. They’d always been kindred spirits, of a sort, enduring despite all of life’s aches and pains. Her stomach sank when he mentioned his kids in particular—oh, she could certainly empathize there—and called himself a failure.

Hey, she said sternly, don’t talk about my friend like that. Despite her tone, she smiled softly at him. Then she said, C’mere, and pulled him into the kind of bear hug usually reserved for her dearest loved ones.