Alfred looked from his hand on hers up to her face. "Pretending we can get on without each other," he said, as though it were obvious. His voice as he continued was slow and steady, as though he were explaining immutable facts of the universe rather than trying to convince. "We're not very good at this. These conversations where we try to pretend nothing about us mattered. And it's clear neither of us are very happy about the way things are now. So — let's just stop." He paused, trying to gauge what impact, if any, his words had had on her. He should have stopped there, probably, but he worried suddenly that it wouldn't be enough and she would pull her hand away and this moment, the moment heady with possibility, would be gone forever — so in a rush he added, "I'm tired of not having you around. I want you back in my life. I want my friend back."
MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER