“If you know it won’t work out in the long run, why even bother getting yourself emotionally invested?â€?

“We’re happy. Can’t I just let it be? Jesus, you’re such a damn pragmatist.â€? But Jeff knew he was right–this could be trouble.

“Hey, I really need to be going. Thanks for hearing me out, man. Alright. Later, dude.â€?

Beth didn’t believe in love. Hell, she barely had any faith in redeeming qualities of the human race–love, clearly, was ludicrous.

“Disney and those greeting card companies…out there trying to tell us what our feelings mean–they’re so full of crap.â€? Not that she herself believed she had the capacity for emotion like love.

“I love you,â€? Jeff would say, as Beth lay in his arms.

Beth would shrug, snuggle up closer, and–God forbid–give him a loving hug. Not that she ever called it that.

She cried for him after he got into a car accident.

She smiled for him when he needed it.

And Jeff held firm to the belief that Beth felt what he defined as love, whether she called it something or not.