His reply offers infinite solace in a single word. Always.

. . . and I don’t expect him to suborn his life into mine any more than I would change my dreams for him. We’re not one soul, one being, however much we love each other.

Finally, I understood what else was going on. I might be slow, but given time, I put the pieces together. "You have no reason to be jealous, I promise. We talked... and trained. You're the only boy who gets close like this." "Oh." A long, slow breath escaped him. "I feel so stupid." I put my lips to his cheek and whispered, "Don't. I love you, Fade.

Each love is unique. Special. Giving to one never takes away from another.

For love to flourish there has to be trust. Promises don’t matter as much as personal choice.

I’ve lost so many people. Some I left on purpose and never looked back. Some were taken from me, and I never said good-bye.

You could miss someone, but it did no good to fixate on loss. I wished I had the ready words of a Breeder or the ability to comfort with a soft touch. I didn't. Instead I had daggers and determination. That would have to do.