“I love you, Aaron. You are the absolute best.” Ashley said, hugging him.
Ashley’s nearness made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, and when he heard her say, ‘I Love you, Aaron,’ his heart skipped a beat. Did she mean it? He wondered. Of course, she meant it, but was it as I love you, Aaron—my friend, or as I love you, Aaron — you’re the man of my dreams? He desired to know more than anything else in his life, but as much as he wished for her to see him as a man and say these magical words to him, he reminded himself that she’d gone through the worst kind of betrayal in the name of love, so he needed to be patient with her and give her time and space. He will take things slowly and gradually with her. He will first heal her through friendship... and then, when she was ready, only the
