“I buried my feelings because it was easier than feeling… this. This agony, this grief, missing them so much my heart hurts. It was easier to not let anyone in and keep everyone at an emotional distance because that was preferable to this. Until…” He stopped and looked straight at me. “God, until I met you, and I realized that maybe I could have someone. Because before you, Noelle, I never wanted it. No one else was ever worth the effort. Not until you.”
