Broken Reliance, Renewed Longing

The newcomer's eyes were filled with tears and I could see her distress as I tried to focus on my experiment. To lighten the mood, my boyfriend, in a misguided attempt at humor, gave my right shoulder a sharp, playful slap.

“Haha, look at her,” he said, grinning at the girl. “She’s totally stunned! Ray, give me a smile—I’ve just slapped her to cheer you up!”