"I love you," she said, her voice so quiet that it was barely audible. She hadn't said that before, ever. They'd been dating a while, and she liked him a lot, and she cared about him and wanted to be with him for a long time.. But she had never said she loved him. He had told her that he loved her before, but she hadn't had experience with love, and she'd wanted to be sure. Now she was.