He had asked "why" countless times tonight. Some of those questions he already knew the answer to, but in this moment, his heart was filled with genuine confusion.

He had never imagined that he would struggle to even say the word "love."

The way she defined "love" carried a weight he couldn't quite explain, as though this "liking" would bring endless disaster and suffering, which was why she had chosen to reject it.

His thoughts inevitably drifted back to that phone call he ...