Sequoia Coast Imagination rules the world.

You better speak up soon before some other male does. Truth be told, Verrine had worried about this often. Julooke had a social life of her own, and he encouraged her independence and networking with others. She was such a sweet, outgoing, generous, kind person, and so easy to befriend. But she was also the jaw-dropping, eyes-popping-out-of-your-head kind of gorgeous too, and it wasn't a stretch at all to see someone else becoming attracted to her. Part of him wanted to fight for her if another ever tried to claim her. But a bigger part of him knew he could never do that to her. Julooke would follow her heart, and if her heart didn't lead to him, well…

Well, he couldn't let it come to that. He'd just have to get to her first.

But how? He sighed. "I don't know, man." He knew that wasn't going to be enough for Beric. And, really, it wasn't enough for himself. Why didn't he have the nuts to step up and tell the woman he loved how he felt? "I don't…I just wonder if she's ready for that. You know? Like…I was her friend, her support when Liyano died. That hit her so hard, and there were times I wondered if she was going to make it. I was there for her. I was her rock…" He trailed off for a moment, his expression contemplative as he tried to figure out how best to explain it without it sounding like a cop-out, because it really wasn't. It was a legitimate concern. He truly didn't want to fuck things up between them. "I just don't want her thinking I…expect anything in return for that. I don't want her to feel obligated to be with me because I was there for her. I just figure if she wants to be with me, she'll say so. If not, I won't stop her if she wants somebody else. It would suck, but I love her and want her to be happy even if it means she isn't with me."