Her lashes are wet with tears, but she doesn't flinch away from his touch in the slightest. Her hands shift to his arms, pushing herself up a little more, but she doesn't pull away.
"Love?" She looks genuinely thrown for a moment. "I'm not in love with you, Byerly. That isn't what this is about. You are a dear friend. Someone I trust. Someone who knows me and doesn't shy away. And I just thought that maybe, just once, I could..."
She feels hideously embarrassed all over again, her stomach twisting. She bites her lip, hard, her expression shifting to something bitter and stung, but not from Byerly.
"And who among them has ever been deserving anyway?" Her voice is taut, trying not to crack again. "None of them knew a thing about me. Just a tryst with whoever I could get away with. It isn't about love." She bites the inside of her cheek. "If you're not deserving, then none of them were."
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"Love?" She looks genuinely thrown for a moment. "I'm not in love with you, Byerly. That isn't what this is about. You are a dear friend. Someone I trust. Someone who knows me and doesn't shy away. And I just thought that maybe, just once, I could..."
She feels hideously embarrassed all over again, her stomach twisting. She bites her lip, hard, her expression shifting to something bitter and stung, but not from Byerly.
"And who among them has ever been deserving anyway?" Her voice is taut, trying not to crack again. "None of them knew a thing about me. Just a tryst with whoever I could get away with. It isn't about love." She bites the inside of her cheek. "If you're not deserving, then none of them were."