Alec hadn't expected her to take it the wrong way. She'd been obviously in love with some other dude. He wasn't going to combat for that. Love was strange. He didn't really understand it. He thought she was being dramatic. But he'd also told her to feel what she felt - that there was nothing wrong with it. "No?" He answered, because he wasn't sure if that was a rhetorical question. Did she want an answer?
"Half the kids here come from abusive families, what do you expect?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "This isn't counseling. We don't get fucking pep talks and anti depressants here. They don't really fix our issues, they just teach us how not to kill ourselves with our powers. I've been in thirty seven foster homes. That's thirty seven families that didn't want to keep me. I have no idea what name my parents gave me. I don't know what my heritage is. I don't know if my mother had blue eyes like mine or if my father was an alcoholic. I didn't know basic math when I started here. I was sixteen and I couldn't add numbers. You know how long it takes me to read a goddamn book? I hate reading. There's nothing wrong with you, Lenore. But half the kids here don't even know themselves, how are they supposed to commit to a relationship? A healthy relationship? One that makes you a better person? I don't even know what that fucking looks like, I've never seen it before." This wasn't as optimistic as the last talk he'd had with Lenore, but he was being honest.
"I'm not saying you should give up," he added, because he didn't think she should. She wanted to find someone to date and love and trust, and she shouldn't give up on that, not if it was what she needed. "Shit sucks for you right now and that sucks. But I have real relationships, and you're one of them. I don't care what we end up doing, and I know that bothers you, but sex isn't important to me. The relationship is, and that's the part you get."