Kirley & Mel
"Can she leave you when you're not together?" Melinda asked -- a question that she realized was probably a bit more direct than she'd meant it to be. She cleared her throat softly and turned back to the table of food. "Anybody should be so lucky to have someone talk about them the way you talk about her. Maybe you should... try."
Before she could say anything else, Melinda put the spoon full of whipped cream back in her mouth. It was a strange feeling, the knot in her stomach. It was nothing but common sense, pushing him to do what seemed like the right thing by his feelings. Still, that knot in her stomach had her feeling like maybe, she hoped, he'd just dismiss her idea.
"I'm pretty sure if she did, she wouldn't put it out here where the rest of us could get to it." She set the spoon down on her plate again to try and wipe off the cream she knew was clinging to her lip.