Adam turns on the radio when he gets in the car. It’s just public radio, classical music, but it’s better than listening to Sara’s blank face staring out the front passenger seat window.

Normally, after they win a game, the drive home sings with Sara’s excited chatter, alternating between gushing to him and gushing to her friends over her phone. She hadn’t been into sports before they started dating, but now, after four years of intent focus on his games, she’s planning to go into sports journalism. She’s going to be good at it, he knows. That’s why he likes listening to her on these drives - she gives him entirely-deserved praise and competent post-game feedback from outside his own head.

Adam glances over at her hair every time the song on the radio changes, but she doesn’t look at him, and neither of them says anything until they’re sitting in her parents’ driveway at eleven.

The only light on in the house is Sara’s sister’s bedroom. Sara’s parents have known him since he and Sara were in daycare together, and Adam and Sara have both always been responsible, honest kids. Her parents aren’t worried.

“I don’t have to go in for another hour,” Sara says after a few minutes, when he’s put the car in park. She’s still looking out the window, but she’s leaning into her seat now, her posture tired. “Can we turn off the radio and just - sit for awhile?”

He turns off the radio with a soft ‘click’. Her hand finds the back of his, and he lets their hands come to rest between them on the armrest.

Her hand still feels like the cold cup of soda she was nursing through the game. It’s normal in a way the rest of the night hasn’t been. He can feel her pulse through her small wrist over his larger, warmer one, still echoing the slow Beethoven piece that was playing on the radio.

After a while, when her sister’s bedroom light has turned off, Sara’s hand squeezes his and doesn’t let go and she turns to look at him for the first time since the buzzer sounded the end of the game.

“So, I’m probably never going to see you again after you go home tonight,” she says, her voice and eyes both as soft and cold as her briefly tightened hand on his.

His eyes flick to their joined hands and don’t look back at her eyes. “Maybe. Anything is possible.”

“I- just want to know why you didn’t tell me, and why you didn’t tell me before. I want to know why I had to find out from your best friend the night before you leave.”

Adam looks at his knees and draws his shoulders in, eyes closing for a moment. He had known using Jim to break the news was a bad idea, but that hadn’t stopped him from doing it.

“I think I know why,” she says, and her voice is a little louder, her eyes a little warmer. “I just want to hear you say it.”

Adam glances to their hands again. Sara is right - she usually is, he thinks. She deserves an explanation.

“I was afraid you would ask me to stay,” he says. He looks up, finally, and her eyes are intent on him like they were the first time he kissed her. “And I wouldn’t be able to say no, because I kind of almost bought you a ring. But my dad died in his fighter, and this is really important to me.”

“Yeah,” Sara says, nodding. “That’s what I was expecting. And probably I would have asked you to stay, if you had told me earlier, so I am glad you are doing what you believe is right.”

They both take a minute to think about that. She looks at his class ring on her right middle finger, and he knows what’s coming.

She has to let go of his hand to take the ring off, but then she takes his right hand in her left one and slips the ring on his pinky. Her hands linger, but when they finally let go, she draws them back to herself, wrapping her arms around her stomach and letting out a cold sigh.

“Jim is taking me to the airport tomorrow at seven,” Adam says.

“I know,” she replies. “Your flight is at eight-thirty. He asked me out for breakfast at ten.”

“What did you say?”

“I told him I wanted to talk to you first.”

“And now that you have talked to me?”

“I’m going to tell him that Ambrose has the best donuts in town,” she says, and turns to stare at the blue dice hanging from his rearview mirror.

Adam smiles, and means it, because Ambrose does have the best donuts in town. Jim and Sara are going to be happy together, and when Adam is in the air, following his heart, Jim and Sara are going to be in the church, following theirs.