Tears stung at the back of her eyes, and she swallowed hard, reaching up to touch his face. “I never thought I was going to hear you say anything like that. I thought we had kind of silently outlawed that kind of thing because it might hurt too much when we say goodbye…” she trailed off quietly.

He shrugged a little and touched her lips with his fingertips. “I know what you mean. Maybe I shouldn’t have said it. I kept telling myself not to say it, and I’ve wanted to say it for some time now, but right now I just… I just needed you to know it. I...