He couldn’t stop. Even when she gazed at him with pity, he couldn’t stop. Loving her was like breathing. And he just couldn’t turn it off.

“This will go nowhere,” she told him, politeness in her tone. “If I ever led you to believe otherwise…”

He waited for her to apologize, but she didn’t. She just let it hang there, a silent plea for understanding. And he couldn’t find the words to let her go, to free her conscience. So he didn’t say anything.

“I like you, but as a friend,” she tried again. “You’re a good person and there’s someone out there for you. It’s just not me.”

He let her words sink in, then rejected them. He had chosen his way, the decision too deep inside now.

“I know,” he lied to her. “I’ll get over this.”

He waited for the relief to shine in her eyes, but something else flashed back at him. And something akin to hope sparked in him.

“Good,” she managed with a slight smile. “I hope we can still be friends.”

He nodded, hating his easy acquiescence to her wishes. “If that’s what you want.”