Xavier met his friends Mike, Chris, and Jesse at the gym two weeks after Samantha left for California. He had avoided them since the date, unwilling to discuss his feelings, but admitted he could not stop thinking about her. When Jesse asked if he had reached out, Xavier said he had only texted to check Samantha’s travel and her kitten Pooter’s bowel movements, which Mike mocked as avoiding real conversation.

Xavier repeated Samantha’s instruction to forget her, but Mike challenged him, calling it foolish to comply. Chris suggested long-distance dating, and Mike argued Xavier should carve out time, even if it meant scaling back unpaid rescue work. Xavier protested that his clinic obligations, finances, and lack of days off made it impractical, yet he could not let her go either.

Privately, Xavier had already planned a trip to see Samantha, though he had not booked it. He hoped his friends might talk him out of it, because he knew it was irrational. Anxiety spiked as he imagined Samantha moving on with someone else, including an ex like the semiprofessional baseball player, and he feared losing any chance at closure.

As the others continued their workout, Xavier spiraled between wanting to call Samantha and worrying that would be too forward. He checked Murkle’s mustard-themed Instagram for a new post, smiled at a meme, and then looked to see who had viewed his own recent story of a puppy.

Seeing his father among the viewers triggered memories of his parents’ ongoing surveillance and lack of support. Xavier recalled a failed reconciliation attempt via an old family friend who cited his mother’s MS and his father’s disability, demanding filial duty without apology or accountability. After Xavier refused, his father sent a hostile email and now watched Xavier’s social media to confirm his failure.

Xavier chose not to block his father, reasoning that would give a reaction, and instead set down his phone. He remained torn about contacting Samantha while weighed down by family history and professional responsibilities.