Her arms curl tighter about him, shoulders beginning to shake as she clings to him. She avoids digging in her fingers, not wanting to hurt him or remind him of pains he's suffered, but she needs something to hold onto. Something solid and stable and that isn't leaving. Just for now. Just for a few minutes.

"I know." But she never said it back. She wishes she had. Why didn't she? Why did she hold back? Why was she so afraid of being honest?

It doesn't help to berate herself now. It will only make things harder for both of them if she does.

She's quiet for a long time as she cries, but eventually she manages a few soft words, her heart breaking with every one. "I loved her too."