I love you.
Those were three words Aldrich had not heard in a long, long time. Not since his parents were alive. Of course, it was different when it came from them and when it came from Valera, but the warmth of the words was still the same.
Aldrich was taken aback. He had expected to hear them, and they still surprised him. He knew she had feelings for him, but to hear them for real and not just within the confines of virtual reality was an entirely different thing.
The way she looked at him right now, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes faintly red and wide, her hands clutched around his, still trembling in spite of her efforts - it made him realize beyond anything else that this was all real.
Very real.
