"No," he insisted, trying to be patient about this when patience wasn't truly his forte, "I didn't say anything of the sort.
"I said I've been half in love with you since we were kids. And I said I needed time to figure out what I wanted. I never said I didn't know what I feel or that I needed to figure that out."
Alastor shook his head, though she wouldn't see. Through his entire career, he'd preached the wisdom of not getting emotionally attached to anyone. Yet, she'd always been there. And, it was frustrating that the only person who truly knew him inside and out didn't seem capable of understanding him now.
"Loving you has never been the question. I do love you. But, that doesn't change anything. You're still you and I'm still me and I still need half a moment to think about the fact that I never wanted to get involved with anyone, no matter what I felt, and now I have to decide if that's changed because of this."