"What do you want to say?" he asked instead.
Taking a deep breath, Sophie spoke to him sincerely: "I want to tell you that you will always be the friend I trust most, the most important one to me! In the future, if there's ever anything you need from me, just say the word, and I will do everything I can to help, because you are the friend I care about most. We will be good friends for life."
There was silence on the other end of the line...
"Hello?" Sophie asked. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I'm happy," he finally replied after a long pause, his voice clearly restrained. "Even though in this lifetime I can only be your 'good friend,' I truly feel satisfied with that! Very satisfied!"
Sophie's heart ached sharply. She fought hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes, refusing to let them fall.
She could no longer utter any words of comfort, nor could she say "I'm sorry."
