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Rafael tried to give his best puppy dog eyes “please Liv, let me take you out for a meal in one of the best restaurants in New York”.
Olivia laughed at her friend and waved him off “I already told you no Rafa. It’s Nick and I’s first night off at the same time in weeks so I’m going to spend it at home with my husband and our son”.
Rafael sighed and fell back into the chair dramatically. “Come on” he whined, “first my mom cancels on me, for her birthday dinner might I add, and now my best friend is blowing me off to hang out with her husband, unbelievable”.
Liv rolled her eyes and laughed “sorry, why don’t you ask Amanda or Carmen”.
Rafael sighed again “Amanda’s going on a date with Charles again and it’s Carmen and Rita’s anniversary so I won’t even dare ask”.
Olivia shrugged “why don’t you go on a date? What about that guy you went to the film festival with... what was his name?”.
Rafael squinted his eyes at her “his name was James and absolutely not. We went out once six months ago and he definitely wasn’t my type.... also, that was six months ago… and he was my last big date... wow”.
Liv lightly shook her head “well maybe this is a wakeup call to get back on the market. Download one of the apps and get a date for tonight”.
Rafael just rolled his eyes “I’m not taking a complete stranger to that restaurant Liv. It’s not really first date material, it’s more like anniversary statue”.
Liv frowned at hearing the slight sadness in her best friend's voice “well you could always go alone... and if you want company you are more than welcome to come back by after dinner for a little after dinner coffee”. She looked down at Noah, who was playing on the floor and lifted him into her lap “wouldn’t that be nice Noah to have uncle Rafi come back by for dessert”.
Noah just looked at her and smiled a toothless grin.
Rafael let out a small hum “well I guess it would be nice to treat myself... I have been working extra hard over these last few months... and I usually eat alone anyway, as sad as it sounds, so why not indulge in a five-star meal”.
Liv smiled “see, that’s the spirit”.
A small beep pulled the two friends out of their conversation as Rafael pulled out his phone.
“Just an unknown caller” Rafael said a little dejectedly as he opened his phone. “Huh that’s weird... usually my phone suppresses telemarketers”.
Olivia shrugged as she bounced Noah “maybe it’s not one... ooh put it on speaker”.
Rafael gave her a weird look like ‘why should I do that’ but he complied with his friends' wants anyway.
“Hey, it’s Sonny” the voicemail started out. “I had to change my flight because apparently the airplane was to full... it’s a long stupid story. Anyway, my flight got pushed up and instead of coming in tomorrow I’ll be coming in tonight. So, some of my stuff has changed but it’s still LaGuardia, Terminal C, but now it’s Delta flight 11 at 10:30. Sorry for springing this on you so last minute but it is what it is. I can’t wait to see you though, bye”
“Great news, Sonny’s coming to town” Rafael said glee covering his voice as he put down his phone.
“Who’s Sonny?” Liv asked as she handed Noah back the play keys he had dropped.
Rafael shrugged “some stranger who called me by mistake”.
Liv laughed.
**********
“Hey Rafael” Amaro waved in greeting from the kitchen table as Rafael followed Liv into the room “how was your dinner for one?”.
Rafael huffed out a greeting “not since Quasimodo strolled the streets of medieval Paris, have so many people uttered the phrase: ‘that poor man’”.
Liv laughed lightly at her friend as she made her way back to the table “I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as all that”.
“Oh?” Rafael said challengingly as he took off his jacket and showed off his wine stained shirt and tie.
“Oh dear” Amaro said in shock as a small humorous smile curled at the corners of his lips. Rafael sent a deadly glare at him making him shrink back into his chair and look down at his plate.
Rafael huffed and hung up his coat before walking further into his friend’s apartment “I was taking a sip of my merlot and the women behind me screamed for joy as she was proposed to” he motioned to the large red stain “hence the stain, but that’s not all. Now the highlight of the evening came when the entire staff of waiters delivered the birthday cake that I had ordered for my mother but neglected to cancel”.
Amaro put a hand over his face and turned away as his body shook with laughter.
Rafael sighed “... they sang to me”.
Amaro turned back around, eyes full of amused tears, as he tried to hold back his laughter “it’s not even your birthday”.
Rafael’s glare intensified “thank you for the keen observation as usual, detective”.
Amaro couldn’t hold it in any long and started to laugh as Rafael walked towards the table the couple was eating at and sat down at the open chair next to Olivia “after dinner, I took a long stroll and it suddenly struck me: I’m single”.
Olivia lightly pat his hand in comfort but he pulled away and shrugged “you know, I’d gotten accustomed to thinking of myself as a young bachelor trying to tackle his career and take on the world. Not caring who or what I came home to but in reality, I’m 45 and I’m alone”.
Amaro wiped the tears out of his eyes and then the sides of his mouth before he placed his napkin on his plate “hey, I got something that’ll cheer you up”. He moved into the kitchen and opened the fridge as he began to look for something “Amanda came by earlier and dropped off one of her famous apple pies”. He pulled out a large pie tin covered in foil “and by one of hers I mean it’s from that really good bakery over by her place”.
A small smile slightly peaked at the corners of Rafael’s mouth as Amaro placed a decent sized piece in front of him “thanks, Nick”. Amaro smiled back as he sat back in his seat, fresh beer in hand.
Rafael took a few bites of the pie and melted happily into the chair as the stress of the day began to melt away. Olivia smiled happily at her friend then her husband and continued to eat her late dinner.
After the three friends had finished eating and put away their plates they moved into the living room for drinks and to relax.
Rafael pulled out his phone for the first time that evening and sighed at the sight of another voicemail from the same number as earlier.
“What’s wrong Rafal? Olivia asked from her relaxed position as her head rested on her husband's shoulder.
Rafael held up his phone showing the notification “I got another call from that guy who left one earlier”.
“Well, play it” Olivia said as she motioned for him to continue.
Rafael looked at her weirdly again but shrugged and opened his phone and set the voicemail to speaker before pressing play.
“Hey, Bells. Sonny again”.
Rafael bit at his cheek “again, huh?”.
The voicemail continued “I guess you haven’t set up a cute voicemail greeting thing yet. Anyway, I just called to remind you I’ll have my big trunk with my law book collection in it. Translation: you might want to clean out Tommy’s car this time, to make room. I know ‘sempre il fratello maggiore’ (always the big brother). Anyway, I can’t wait to see you guys. I’ve been on my own way too much lately, and I miss you guys like crazy. I’m getting on the plane as I talk but I’ll see you tonight. Remember 10:30, flight 11, terminal C. Love you. Bye”.
Olivia slightly pursed her lips and frowned “it’s too bad there’s no way to call him back now that he’s in the sky. He’s going to be stranded at the airport”.
Rafael shrugged sadly “I mean I’m sure he could get a cab or an Uber maybe”.
Amaro looked up as he thought “you know, I bet that happens a lot, people leaving wrong messages. And after hearing a stranger’s voice like that, it always makes me wonder what they must be like”.
Olivia looked up at him “oh, you can’t really judge what a person’s like just from a voice”.
Amaro nodded “I guess that’s true. I was once told that I sounded overly angry by a stranger over the phone”.
Olivia laughed “and me... I don’t even want to imagine what other people think by just hearing my voice”.
Amaro smiled and pulled Olivia close “I bet they think you’re commanding and incredibly sexy”.
Olivia lightly giggled as Amaro rubbed their noses adorably against each other’s.
Rafael rolled his eyes and took a long sip of his coffee. “I’ve lost track of what point we’re making” Rafael dead panned from his seat.
Olivia pulled back as if she forgot her best friend was still there “oops sorry Rafa”.
Amaro smiled smugly “I’m not”.
Olivia lightly swatted his chest before turning back to Rafael “well that guy sounds to me like a very interesting man. Intelligent, he speaks Italian, and Sonny’s definitely a nickname so maybe his name is something extravagant”.
Amaro looked off again in thought “you know Barba this Sonny sounds like he might just be a perfect match for you”. He looked down at his watch and showed it towards Rafael ”if you leave now, you could meet that plane”.
Rafael huffed out a laugh “honestly, Nick, a couple of voicemails and your fixing us up already? We don’t even know anything about him. Hell, he’s probably not even interested in men”.
Olivia nodded excitedly, ignoring Rafael’s doubts, “I agree with Nick, I mean think about it. He’s bringing his law books which means he’s probably some kind of lawyer, he seems to care about his family, and he just seems sweet”.
Amaro nodded as excitement also grew on his face “he did mention being on his own too much, so we can assume he’s available”.
Rafael chuckled “sure, it’s fun to speculate, but, I mean, come on. I know nothing about him and he’s probably straight so you can’t seriously be suggesting that...”.
Olivia cut off his doubting statements “well, why not? I can’t imagine a more exciting way to meet. The man of your dreams steps off a plane and there you are to rescue him”.
Amaro nodded “oh yeah. You can’t beat meeting somebody in a romantic way. That’s the way it was with me and Liv”.
Rafael cocked his head “you two met at the precinct, and if memory serves me right Amanda came up and started to shamelessly flirt with you right off the bat”.
Amaro nodded “she did, but all I could see was the beautiful Olivia Benson sitting at the desk behind her”. He put his arm around his wife and pulled her close “so it was romantic to us”.
Olivia laughed to herself and leaned in to kiss his cheek sweetly.
Rafael looked down at his phone at the two voice messages that were staring at him from his inbox “he did call me twice today... and that’s already the best relationship I’ve had this year”.
Nick laughed under his breath “so are you going?!?”.
Rafael looked down at his hands and picked at his nail “... maybe... oh, I don’t know...”.
Olivia sat up and looked at her friend “if you go the worst that could happen is he’s straight, or he’s just not your type. The best that could happen is you fall in love. Remember there is nothing worse than looking back on a missed opportunity”.
Rafael nodded slowly and took a breath “you know, what the hell!”. He jumped up from the chair and ran over to the coat hanger where he grabbed his coat.
“Oh, this is so exciting” Olivia said happily.
“God, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this,” Rafael said, excitement in his voice as he pulled on his jacket and started to head for the door.
Nick and Olivia stood up and began to follow him into the hallway.
“Oh Barba, before you go...” Nick started before Rafael cut him off.
“No, Amaro, stop right there; don’t say another word to me. I’ll never do anything impulsive if I stop to overthink it”. He pulled his keys from his pocket as he pat himself down making sure he had everything. “Just let me get the hell out of here before I change my mind” he said as he pulled open the door and ran out”.
Amaro shook his head and held the door open in wait.
Rafael returned not a minute later, slight shame written on his face “but not before I change out of this wine covered shirt...”. He looked over at Amaro pleadingly “you wouldn’t happen to have something I could barrow?”.
Amaro just laughed and nodded as he led the prosecutor back into the apartment towards his closet.
**********
Rafael watched nervously as more and more people rode down the escalator to the baggage claim. He looked up at the large wall clock and the time 10:45 glared back at him as he waited. The printer paper sign with ‘Sonny’ written in all caps in dark green marker wrinkled in his hands as he waited. With each person who rode down the anxiety in his stomach began to heighten. He knew this was a dumb idea but still here he was wearing his best friends’ husband’s light gray collared shirt waiting for a complete stranger and hoping deep down this person might be the man he’s been waiting all his life for.
As the herd of people slowly started to dwindle the feeling of foolishness began to creep up Rafael’s spine. How could he have let his friends talk him into this. He felt so stupid. He was about to give up when he heard more voices begin to echo down from the higher floor. He held up his sign and waited.
A pair of long legs in nice black jeans began to appear slowly as the escalator continued to descend. The jeans slowly morphed into a light soft blue/gray short sleeve shirt that showed off long pale arms. Slowly the face of the man came into view and Rafael was immediately smitten. He had soft grey hair quaffed up from his face, and his face looked as if god himself had carved it. Rafael gulped and secretly prayed this was his mystery Sonny.
The man stepped off the escalator and pulled at his back-pack straps before looking around. He looked at Rafael and his ocean blue eyes locked onto the sign and he cocked his head. He took a few steps towards Rafael and Rafael took a few steps towards him
“Uh... Sonny?” Rafael asked in greeting.
The man slowly nodded confusion evident on his face.
“You’re looking for your sister, Bells?” Rafael prompted to make sure.
Sonny nodded a little surer but confusion was still evident in his body language “yes, I am”. The man, Sonny, looked Rafael up and down “who... what... Bella sent someone else to get me?”.
Rafael shook his head “oh, no, no. I... I’m not a driver. I’m a lawyer. I’m here to help you”.
Sonny took a step back even more confused “is Bella suing me?”.
Rafael laughed at the other man “no, no. I’m Rafael Barba”.
A look of realization crossed the taller man’s face as he reached out to shake Rafael’s hand “I’m Dominick Carisi Jr but you can just call me Sonny. You said Rafael Barba, right? As in Manhattan DA Rafael Barba?”.
Barba nodded slowly and confused just as Sonny had done moments ago “you know me?...”.
Sonny cracked a small smile and lightly blushed “I’ve read a few of your cases”.
Recognition came over Rafael’s face as he smiled back at Sonny “oh yes...”.
Sonny lightly bit at his lip “but you knowing me is just... weird”.
Rafael’s eyes grew as he realized he needed to explain everything. “Uh, well, I don’t actually know you or your sister. You see you accidentally called me instead of your sister by mistake”.
Sonny’s eyes grew wide “I did what... Oh crap I must have written down Bella’s new number wrong”.
Rafael slightly nodded as he figured that had been the case “I didn’t know how to respond but especially after the second message I couldn’t let you wait around for someone who wasn’t coming”.
Sonny looked down at the ground and played with his back-pack straps “so you came all the way down here to the airport from hell just to tell me that?”. He looked up and was slightly redder than before “what are you, like, the nicest guy in the world?”.
Rafael puffed up his chest and smiled cockily “yes, yes I am”.
A laugh pulled itself from Sonny’s body which made Rafael laugh as well.
“Uh, well, speaking of nice, I didn’t just come down here to tell you that. I also would be more than happy to drive you to your sister's place since that was what the call was about” Rafael said, giving a nervous smile.
Sonny shook his head “oh, no, no, no. I can just call an Uber or maybe catch a cab”.
“I mean you could pay a handsome fee or you could get a free ride from a handsome guy,” Rafael said, deciding since he was here he might as well try and flirt.
Sonny lightly rolled his eyes and laughed “I mean I love the offer, but she lives just on the cusp of the city closer to Staten Island so even now it would be a 45 minute to hour long drive”.
Rafael just shrugged “as maybe sad as it sounds I literally have nothing better to do so I would be honored to give you a ride”.
Sonny squinted his eyes “you're a semi famous DA and you have nothing better to do then drive a stranger home at 11 o’clock at night on a Friday? That can’t be right”.
Rafael shrugged “let’s just say I’ve been having some trouble with my social game lately and this would actually be a nice reprieve from the normal”.
Sonny still looked at him weirdly and slowly shrugged “well an Uber would cost me an arm and a leg and a free ride from a handsome guy, as you said, would be kind of nice... so I will gladly take you up on your offer. Just as long as you can look me dead in the eyes and promise me something”.
Rafael cocked his head but nodded “okay, what is it?”.
“Just promise me you're not secretly a creep or a pervert or like an axe murderer... I mean you seem nice and knowing you’re a DA helps squash those scared feelings... but it is New York” Sonny said as a small smile slowly grew on his face.
Rafael threw back his head and laughed before looking Sonny dead in the eyes “I promise I’m not any of those things and you will make it to your sister's place completely unharmed. If you are still worried I won’t be offended if you have 911 plugged into your phone where all you’d have to do is hit the call button”.
Sonny smiled “okay, I believe you, Rafael”.
Rafael smiled back “so shall we get your bags from the carousel?”.
The two men made their way over to the now semi-empty baggage carousel. Sonny pulled off two roller bags and then a large green trunk.
Rafael looked at the large trunk Sonny had just pulled off and lightly kicked it “so I heard in your voicemail you were bringing back law books is that what’s making that trunk so heavy?”.
Sonny nodded excitement evident in his eyes at the notion of talking shop. “Yep these are basically all my books, well the important ones that I couldn’t part with anyway” he said as he lightly slapped the top of the trunk. “My whole academic life and career is nestled in this trunk”.
Rafael smiled “I’m glad you give so much credit to the airlines not to lose all of those” he said jokingly.
Sonny lightly laughed “oh I don’t, which is why” he began as he pulled off his backpack and opened it to reveal four large law books “I keep my favorites with me”.
Rafael laughed loudly, not only was this man attractive but he was also adorable as hell, “I am honestly really impressed”.
Sonny beamed at the compliment “I would love to take the compliment but I sadly had to learn from experience. I was on a flight back home to Chicago one time and I packed a couple of my new books and they somehow ended up in Norway”. He shook his head at the memory and chuckled “along with some of my suits. I still don’t know how they ended up there”.
Rafael chuckled as well as he pulled up the handle of one of Sonny’s black roller bags as the two men slowly started to make their way to the parking garage “well that’s one way to learn”.
Sonny nodded and laughed as he pulled his trunk and other bag.
“Pardon my bluntness” Rafael started as they got to his car and loaded the trunk and bags into the trunk and back seat “but that accent is definitely not from Chicago yet you said that was home” Rafael said digging deeper.
Sonny threw his head back and let out a loud happy laugh, that Rafael was slowly becoming addicted to, as he slid into the passenger seat “you picked up on that?”. He laughed some more “I’m from Staten Island, my whole family is. I moved out to Chicago a little over a year ago for a job opportunity working as an ADA”.
Rafael’s eyes grew wide as he turned on his car “oh so you’re a fellow servant of the people”.
Sonny nodded “yeah. I was actually really lucky, basically straight out of school I was accepted for an open ADA position over in Chicago, and before you ask yes I'm a little old for ‘straight out of school’, I went to law school late”. He looked out the window at the city as they began to drive out of the garage “and Chicago it was... I was going to say great but it wasn’t...”. He sighed “I mean it wasn’t bad or anything it just wasn’t... I’m just happy to be coming home”.
It took everything in Rafael’s power not to look over at Sonny when he detected sadness in his voice “coming home?... I don’t mean to pry but what happened? I know being an ADA is hard but it gets easier after the first year”. He lightly tapped against the steering wheel “well I don’t know if easier is the right word... but it gets... better at least”.
Sonny shrugged and let out a silent chuckle “don’t get me wrong I loved my job, I really did. The work itself was important and I did good work but everything else...” he sighed again and played with his hands “It was a combination of things really... I don’t want to bad mouth anyone, especially to someone in that world but... I... I worked under DA Stone and we... butt heads... a lot. We always seemed to disagree about how to handle things and as the more political side of the job started to rise everything else started to rub at me”. He sat looking out the window as they passed street light by street light “I’m sorry I shouldn’t have just dumped that on you”.
Rafael lightly hummed “oh I don’t mind. It’s actually nice and kind of refreshing to hear someone in this line of work say honest and real things... plus I did ask”.
Sonny nodded silently and continued to play with his hands.
Rafael frowned at the silence that slowly filled the car, already missing the sound of the other man’s voice. “Sooo” he said as he changed lanes “you said it was a combination of things... do you mind if I pry some more?”.
Sonny slightly smiled as he shrugged “if you want to listen I’ll indulge you” he chuckled out. “Well the biggest thing was that I just missed New York, I mean don’t get me wrong Chicago is great, but there’s just something about New York. Plus, most of my family is out here still and we’re all so close and being away from them was hard...”. He bit at his cheek “and maybe this is getting too personal but... fuck it.... I got cheated on which was really the nail in the coffin”.
Rafael looked over and his heart hurt at the sadness in Sonny’s face “oh Sonny, I’m so sorry”.
Sonny shrugged obviously trying to put off the aura that he was over it “it’s okay, it was a few months ago and looking back the guy was an ass anyway, but after what happened mixed with everything else the city just wasn’t as bright as it used to be and I wanted to come home”.
Rafael nodded as he completely understood “I get it and I’ve been there” he quickly looked over at Sonny “some guys are just jerks but just like when an ex-boyfriend of mine cheated you’ll bounce back and find a man who’s a thousand times better”.
Sonny looked up at Rafael an interesting look, almost like hope, quickly flashed in his eyes “I have a feeling you’re right Rafael”.
“Well your back in New York with a trunk of law books so can I guess you’re moving back?” Rafael asked, slightly changing the subject as his cheeks began to heat up from the look in Sonny’s eyes.
Sonny sat up excitement and happiness back in his body “that’s the best part. One of the last cases I worked there was with the innocents project and the lawyer, Ellis, really liked me and he offered me a job with the organization”.
Rafael smiled “oh wow, that... that’s amazing Sonny, and the Ellis you’re speaking of is that Bayard Ellis by chance?”.
Sonny nodded excitedly “yes! You know him?... Wait that was probably a dumb question since you’re a DA in New York”.
Rafael laughed and lightly shook his head “that man is a saint, and trust me I don’t use that word lightly”. He looked over at Sonny then back to the road “and maybe I’m way off but from what I can tell of knowing you for about thirty minutes that seems like a very good fit”.
Sonny smiled as a blush rose up his neck “I really think so too”. He turned and gave Rafael his full attention “now enough about me” he said smiling over “I want to know about my knight in business casual armor”.
Rafael lightly rolled his eyes “well ask away, counselor”.
The rest of the drive was full of back and forth questions. Some were light, get to know me questions such as your favorite movie, favorite color, or favorite type of music. While others were tougher usually about cases and the job overall.
Rafael couldn’t believe how much the two had in common, or even when they didn’t agree how easy it was to talk to Sonny. He usually had a harder time getting to know others, mostly because his life was work and not many dates wanted to hear about such harsh things, but with Sonny they could talk shop and also go on random tangents about things they liked like classic rock or if Chicago or New York pizza was better, and it was amazing. He had never connected with someone as easily as he had Sonny. He never wanted the night to end, and he really hoped Sonny felt the same, but sadly they all too quickly arrived at Bella’s apartment building.
Rafael got out and helped Sonny pull his bags and trunk out of the car.
“Sooo...” Sonny said softly as he looked up at the apartment building his sister lived in “my sister didn’t know I was coming in a day early so I know she didn’t take off tomorrow or plan anything...”. He turned back to Rafael and gave a nervous smile “so since I’ll be free mostly all day is there any way I could buy you lunch? Or maybe dinner to thank you for the ride home?”.
Rafael looked down and swayed his head gently wanting more than anything to say yes but not wanting to come on too strong if he had been misreading things “you don’t have to do that, I told you I was more than happy to do this just as a nice gesture”.
Sonny sighed to himself then straightened up his back and placed a hand gently on Rafael’s arm, which pulled the older man’s gaze back to his, “I was trying to be coy and maybe a little suave but I’m terrible at both those things” Sonny chuckled to himself. “I had a really nice time tonight and I don’t know if it’s fate or maybe just kismet but I believe it was no mistake that the universe brought us together. I mean what are the odds that instead of my sister I accidentally call another lawyer and an extremely kind and handsome one at that” Sonny said as his ears blushed a light pink color. “I asked about lunch because not only do I want to thank you for the ride but also I would just really like to see you again”.
Rafael’s head snapped up at the taller man, his green eyes wide with hope and surprise, “you want to see me again?”.
Sonny nodded “yes, more than anything… if that okay… not to sound too cheesy but I haven’t had a real connection with someone in a long time and from the moment I saw you I just felt drawn to you”.
Rafael took a step closer and lightly smiled “I didn’t want to say anything in fear of turning you off, I mean we were complete strangers an hour ago, but I feel the exact same way”.
Sonny smiled happily “so... it’s a date?”.
Rafael nodded back “I’m in court tomorrow so I don’t know if I can do lunch but I would love to do an early dinner”.
“You already have my number so why don’t you text me a time and place and I will definitely be there” Sonny said as he beamed happily.
Rafael couldn’t help but to smile back just as happily “it’s a date”.
Sonny leaned down and gently laid a kiss against Rafael’s cheek “I’m really glad I called the wrong person” he said sweetly “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow”.
Rafael lightly blushed “luckily it’s already tomorrow”.
Sonny smiled and chuckled as he pulled away to lift his trunk. He took a few steps towards the apartment before turning back and smiling “well I will see you later today then”.
Rafael nodded “I’ll text you a time and place,” he said as Sonny climbed the couple stairs and pulled open the door to the lobby of the building.
Sonny pulled the trunk into the building before he turned around and smiled at Rafael “thank you again Rafael, and I look forward to the message”. He gave a small wave and a wink before he disappeared into the building.
Rafael reached up and lightly touched the place Sonny had kissed him as a goofy smile appeared on his face. He slowly floated back to his car. As he got in he pulled out his phone and dialed Olivia. On the second ring she answered.
“You’re on speaker phone and Nick’s listening as well. So, tell. Us. Everything!” his best friend said excitement covering her tone.
Rafael lightly chuckled at his friends “I... I think I met my person”.