Allison discovered a note slipped inside one of her packages. She rushed to her bureau and took out her letter opener. Carefully, she slid it into the envelope and opened it neatly, then sank into her chair and began to read.
A,
A,Your heart is in no less peril than mine. I confess that I love you. There, I’ve said it. But love is two-edged. We live on the perimeter of each other’s lives—lives which can never be shared. I will watch and admire you. I will ache to steal away with you and pull you into my arms. But I will not. I will stay near you and love you, and never be with you. There can be no other way. I ask you now to do as I, myself, will do. Hide this love in your heart like a tucked away treasure that time will forget. We cannot speak of it again.
Your heart is in no less peri
