“Do you know what it was like all those years trying to get you to talk to me and you acting as if I was some sort of pariah, like I had done something so terrible that I was supposed to be banished somewhere you would never have to see me again?”

“I love you, I’ve loved you for years and I’ll love you for years more. It’s not something I can fight, it’s not something I want to fight.”

“Afterwards, as he held me and stroked my hair, my body was singing with pleasure, I couldn’t believe I had waited so long. I thought of how we had wasted a whole year we could have had together and I felt so sad I wanted to cry.”

“So are you here alone or is there someone looking daggers at my back right now, ready to challenge me to a duel?”

“It’s just lunch Sophie. I’m not going to force you to elope with me in a restaurant.”

“How could a smile reduce me to such a mess? I was tempted to go to him and put my arms around him. Is it part of love for women to become weak and foolish?”

“It was crazy. One minute my arms were around him in a very platonic friendly hug, the next, I was on fire, and no matter how he much touched me, it was not enough.”