"You're Lying.”

I held her gaze and stated clearly, “I've never lied to you before and

I'm not lying now. It's not Belle, it's not Sam, it's not any of them.

I love all six of you, but the more I stop to think about it, I'm not in love with any of you. Please believe me: I am NOT refusing to become your boyfriend again because I'd rather be with one of them instead, alright?"

She doubted me. She wanted to continue doubting me. Perhaps it would have been easier for her to believe I was rejecting her because I'd rather be with Belle, rather than admit that there was some fault or flaw in herself that made her unworthy of my true love.

I sighed.

“That night when you came to spend that first overnight with me, when Belle talked us into at Least trying a relationship, you said you didn't want to regret never trying. You didn't want to always wonder if you'd missed out on the greatest love of your life out of fear and married someone else regretting the one that got away.”

Through tears, she nodded.

“I remember.”

“We took the chance. We wanted to find out if we could become something truly special. For me, at least, the answer was no. The sex was amazing, yes. The emotional connection? I'm sorry."

“We didn't have the chance to find out.”

I squeezed her hands and said, “Perhaps. Maybe you're right and I'm being too dismissive of a time period when after one incredible weekend your parents Locked you down and hampered any chance we had to develop into something more."

“Yes. Exactly. You ARE being too dismissive.”

I exhaled.

“Then we're back to square one. You're still one of the BTC.

I still care about you, and if fighting for me, fighting for your love for me, is something you still want to do, I...”

As my voice trailed off, she leaned forward eagerly, sensing that at least there was still a chance.

"This is the best I can do: I won't stop you from pursuing me. I won't stop you from trying to prove you love me the way you say you do. But

I'm not going to just jump right back into our old relationship, either. It wouldn't be fair for me to dedicate that time to you and prioritize you over the others, and it would be false on my part to pretend to be in love with you when... at least for now... I'm not."

"I get it," she said with a smile and a nod.

Her smile was a little too hopeful. "Please, Neevie. I don't want to lead you on."

“You're not Leading me on. You've said you don't Love me like that, and it's up to me to prove to you otherwise.”

I blinked, not a hundred percent sure I'd said those words in quite that way. She also looked three seconds away from jumping me, so I held up my hands. "No sex. Not right now. As much as it sucks and as much as

I want to just lay back and let you go for a ride on top of me, you have to realize that having too much sex is what brought us to this point in the first place."

“Maaatttyyy..." she whined.