Paralyzing panic seemed to coil around his chest. He lunged at me, desperate to grab my hand, but I merely shifted my weight to the side and slipped out of his reach.
"Ella, come home with me." His voice cracked with a pathetic, desperate plea. His eyes turned even redder. "We'll get married right now! I was wrong before, I was being an i***t! I see everything clearly now, and I'll never let you go again. After you left, I realized it wasn't Monica who I loved. It was never her."
He swallowed hard. "I fell for you when we were kids, before I even realized what I was feeling. That little crush grew into love, but I just refused to admit it to myself. Can you understand me? Can you understand what I'm saying here?"
See that?
Right there, even now, he still unconsciously treats me like
