It was odd, how every word sent a thrill through him that carried in its wake a flare of an old pain, as if with every renewed burst of life or energy came the reminder why he'd given up on all of it. And yet, he didn't think he could go back, now.

Which was a lie, of course. He didn't want to.

"You think this is about what other people would think?" he said wonderingly, watching her face. Wasn't being seen by her enough to terrify him? Wasn't what she thought enough, even without the added tension of the attraction between them?