I felt his other hand sear hot against my cheek. He bent his head, and in a voice that Jack couldn’t hear, said, When you came down the stairs, and fell into me, that was the moment. Then his lips pressed against mine.
Because, if you could love someone, and keep loving them, without being loved back . . . then that love had to be real. It hurt too much to be anything else.
I realized how truly hard it was, really, to see someone you love change right before your eyes. Not only is it scary, it throws your balance off as well.