"Whitney, what are you doing?...Why are you doing this? I know Mother wants us together, but really—do you see that happening?"
Whitney stepped back, blinking fast, her facade slipping just slightly.
"Why wouldn't I?" she whispered, then louder. "I have… I have loved you since I was a little girl. And I have waited long enough."
Alex's brow furrowed. "Loved… loved me?...What the fuck are you saying?" The disbelief rang louder than his voice. "I thought you were just playing along with my mother's insistence. I thought it was just her matchmaking delusion."
Whitney took a trembling step forward, eyes glossed over with emotion. "No. I want to be with you," she said. "Is there something wrong with me that you cannot see me as more?"
"Nothing is wrong with you," Alex said. He ran a hand through his already tousled hair, trying to anchor himself. "I just don't do… I can't do this. I do not have the time for relationships. And I sure as hell do not do love."
