For a moment, Adam could have sworn his mind touched Laura’s. Impossible. She was human. Not to mention what he’d heard. Surely he imagined it. She loves me? How he wanted to believe she did, but his rational thought process wouldn’t allow it. It gave him numerous reasons why she couldn’t; it was too soon, she was tired and scared from events, she saw him as a savior and felt grateful. Yet… I heard it. I know I did. And he’d replied, and he could have sworn she’d caught his reply because she laughed as soon as he said, I’m awesome. Which, in retrospect, if something inexplicable had happened and they had mentally spoken, was the totally wrong thing to say. The proper response when a woman said I love you was I love you too. But he couldn’t say it aloud now. Not only had the moment passed, but what if she didn’t feel it? Despite all the skirmishes he’d fought, the things he’d seen, in that moment, he couldn’t think of anything more devastating than revealing a tender emotion and not having it reciprocated.
