Anthony's forehead fretted with worry that it might be too late for what Padma wanted - had the door shut already, not to be reopened again? The sight of her sorrow was too much for him to take, and Anthony had to cast his glance away from her to avoid making eye contact. There was a wall built around his heart, and it was for his protection.
"It's so hard," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "Damn it!" It was pissing him off. At Hogwarts, he'd shut everybody out, including Padma, but now... he had a vested interest in their relationship.
It then occurred to him that the fact that he still wanted to feel something was better than being completely numb, and so he became determined to latch on to that. Returning his attention to Padma, he paused for a moment before leaning forward to press a deep kiss upon her ruby lips.