funeral home and then traveling here after. I saw the fresh hole in the ground, the placeholder above it for the gravestone Deb and Bob had ordered.
Crouching, I placed my hand on the hallowed ground just above where his casket would eventually be lowered. Will’s body wasn’t here, but this would be his final resting place.
I thought of how awful it was that I never got to meet the man that Liam loved so much. I thought of the terrible timing of everything, realizing that if it wasn’t for Will’s funeral, I would probably never have met Liam. It was unfathomable that a man that was just a dare a week ago would come to mean so much to me. But there it was.
I pressed my hand into the dirt for a long moment. “Wherever you are,” I said, “thank you for bringing Liam into my life.” It was the only explanation. Will had a larger than life personality. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had a hand in bringing us together. When I stood, my legs shook.
“You came.”
I spun around, facing Liam.
We were all alone in the cemetery except for the birds that whistled to us from the branches above. Liam wore a black suit with a black dress shirt and tie. We had matching under-eye circles, I noticed, and I took a step toward him.
“About last night,” he said, and I shook my head to shush him.
“We can talk after,” I promised. “I wanted to get here early, to pay my respects to his final resting place.”
“Are you going back to Idaho after this?”
Did he have to look at me with his eyes as sad as they were, when he asked that question?
I could only nod.
His mouth set in a line and he nodded, looking down. I wanted to tell him I was going home, but—at least in my mind—that didn’t mean it was the end of us. But the funeral procession was pulling into the cemetery and having a heart to heart over his best friend’s grave was not the way I wanted to tell Liam that I cared for him.
Dozens of cars pulled into the cemetery following the hearse. Liam left me to join Vince, Chad, Seth, and Bob as pallbearers.
In the crowd, I saw Deb and made my way to her. Naomi and Nicole weren’t far behind and upon seeing me, we hugged. When I made it to Deb, she hugged me even tighter. I could feel the quiver in her body, so I held her tighter.
When I pulled away, my eyes were wet. It didn’t matter that I had never met Will. I’d grown to care a lot about the people who loved him and seeing their pain affected me.
The men carefully carried the glossy white casket to the hole and gently set it over the ropes that would eventually lower it into the ground. Deb joined her husband as the men dispersed. Seth and Chad came to Nicole and Naomi’s sides, respectively, and when Liam lifted his head, his gaze met mine. His eyes were so profoundly sad; it pierced my chest to see how shattered he was.
After one long moment, he moved through the crowd until he stopped at my side. My hand found his and held, accepting his squeeze of thanks. With my other hand, I reached across to hold his wrist.
A pastor said some words, but I barely registered what was spoken. A prayer was said and then the casket was lowered into the ground. Deb and Bob threw roses over it and turned away. A sob ripped from Deb’s throat, like it had been waiting all along for an escape.
Though he held my hand, I could feel Liam’s answering tremble. The crowd slowly broke up around us, people leaving to hug Deb and Bob or others. Beside me, Nicole turned to Seth and they hugged for a long, long time.
Naomi came beside me and hugged me again, but my arm was still around Liam. I didn’t want to let go.
“I’m sorry for last night,” she said in my ear. “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. This is so hard.” Her bottom lip trembled, and tears stained her cheeks beneath her large sunglasses. “I grew up with these guys. I’m protective of them.”
“I know,” I told her, because I did. I understood.
“Vince was wrong, what he said. He needs help. I guess I didn’t want to see it fully. You know, I watched him go off to war