“I need to know that you won’t judge me for what I’m about to tell you. I don’t think you will, for what it’s worth, otherwise we probably wouldn’t be here in the first place. But to appease a battered ego, I’d just like to have your word.”

“You have it,” Tim said, without hesitation. “And I’ll ask the same of you. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we met either, or that we’re sitting here having this conversation. I do think that something—fate, destiny maybe—is leading us along a path that neither of us can see yet, but we still need to know that we can trust each other. So here’s to trust.”

Tim raised his glass slowly, careful not to spill any of the luxurious liquor within it.

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