Jake was relieved to find that Zara had no knowledge of the shadow and quickly exited her mind, "Why? What's wrong? Am I a bad guy? Have I ever made you uncomfortable?"
Zara didn't know how to answer him, "You are a gem of a person, Jake. But as I told you, I wish to focus on studies."
Jake argued, "Study all you want. No one's stopping you from doing that. In the last few months, I have begun to like you."
"Stop it, Jake. I…I spend time with you because you love studying as much as I do. There's nothing more to the friendship. I'm sure any other girl would reciprocate your feelings."
Jake tried to fake humor, "I wouldn't dump slushy on my head for any other girl" hoping to make her smile. When she didn't, he added, "I'm ready to wait, Z."
Zara felt like a villain stabbing at the poor guy's heart, "Don't make this difficult for me, Jake. I trust you and want to be your friend. Nothing more"
