"You've caused me so much pain, yet the love I feel for you blinds me of it." Tabitha's voice rises several octaves, anguish etched on every feature of her face.

"I never asked you to love me."

"Love isn't something you ask for, Rho."

Rho falls to his knees before Tabitha. "I know," his voice breaks. "I never wanted to hurt you. I didn't know how to love you properly."

"Oh, Rho," Tabitha kneels beside him, clutching his warm hand to her heart. "I could have taught you to love me."

"You deserve someone who knows."

"I don't want _someone_. I want you, Rho. That's what love is all about. Loving someone enough to stay."

Rho brings his free hand to his forehead, tapping himself with his knuckles. "No. No, Tabitha."

"You didn't let me finish," Tabitha silences Rho by placing her fingers over his lips. "I know you're hurt, Rho, and I know you don't mean to hurt me. The truth is, when I find myself staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, all I see is my love for you. I forget the hurt because my love for you is so great."

"Tabitha," Rho's voice is low and gentle, like a stream hidden within a forest. "I want to learn how to love you without hurting you. I'll be better for you, I promise. You've said your truth, so here's mine. I'm not who I am without you."

Slowly, and carefully, never breaking eye contact, Rho lifts Tabitha's hand to his lips and plants a soft kiss there.