He's hoping to get Talia and Rachel back together.

"Honestly? I thought the same thing I thought when Talia broke the news that day. I'm hoping that Talia and Rachel can work things out between them," I sighed. "Talia's our friend, and Rachel by extension. I don't want to see either of them miserable. When Talia fell apart like that, it felt like something tore a gaping wound in me too."

"I guessed as much that's what you'd say," nodded Elizabeth. "It's obvious Talia hasn't got over Rachel, and based on what you've told me, it's very likely that Rachel hasn't either."

"What makes you say that?"

"What Rachel said in the supermarket - it's pretty typical passive-aggressive language among students I've seen. It sounds to me as though she still holds Talia responsible for their breakup. She's angry that Talia seems to be having the time of her life, sleeping around with her friends."

"Technically true," I chuckled out of habit, earning me a sharp smack on the wrist.

"Not helping here! From what I can tell, Rachel hasn't moved on since she had that argument - if her Facebook profile is anything to go by," Elizabeth frowned. "No hint of a relationship status ever since her profile went up. Corny as it sounds, it's like she wasn't able to invest herself in another person."

"Or trust," I offered. "But what then? You can't expect us to blame Talia for Rachel's emotions."

"What I'm saying is we need to approach this by treating Rachel as a victim, not an aggressor," chided my brunette friend. "Otherwise we'll alienate Rachel and drive the two of them even further apart. Can you imagine what would Talia be like then?"

It was a sobering thought. The image of Talia, tear-streaked and broken from the shopping ordeal, inevitably resurfaced in my mind.

"You're right. We have to do this tactfully..."

"...and we have to do it soon," Elizabeth finished my sentence for me. "So this is what I think we should do - we'll have to talk to both of them separately and coax them towards a common resolution."