"I love you," she tells me. "I want to stay here forever with you. I love being here. I love being at your side. I love waking up with you. But I didn't want you to feel pressured into taking on someone just because we slept together. I know how much you value your freedom—" I lean forward and press my brow against hers. "It's not freedom if I'm missing you. I wouldn't ever ask you to stay if you wanted to go, but…if you stayed, it'd make me the happiest male in the universe."
