"Hey..." he paused to be sure I was looking him in the eyes. "We're partners, you and me. We're there for each other."

Partners... What a wonderful word that was, "How are you feeling about last night?"

He shrugged, "Not great, but nothing to do about it."

"I was... ah... thinking about how good you sounded last night. How well spoken you were I mean. You didn't stutter or apologize, but you also didn't yell or scream. I was... really impressed by you."

"Well... Thank you."

"It was... really nice to have someone speak up for me, being on my side."

"I'll always be on your side, Stella."

"I... I...