Celeste didn't know exactly what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't a love confession—not from the man who had a pregnant girlfriend, had scared her enough to make her run away, and might have killed Andreas.
He had been trying, albeit for a short time.
He had been sweet, and perhaps it had simply gotten into his mind that he genuinely loved her. But Celeste couldn't imagine someone like him—someone who had to put effort into being kind to her—could possibly feel any romantic feelings.
Frozen, Celeste looked at the handsome man whose expression had begun to slip into one of great sadness.
She swallowed, leaning back against the chair as the silence between them grew. Celeste couldn't deny she had come to care for Tiel, but it was just that—a simple platonic love for the man who tried.
Celeste glanced down, her mind gathering words for a less painful rejection.
