"When did you get so wise?" Ben asked with a half-smile.
Julian glanced at Kiara, and something passed between them that Ben couldn't quite interpret. "I had a good teacher."
Kiara smiled softly at Julian before turning her attention to Ben.
"Have you tried talking to her directly?" Kiara asked. "About why she seems to be pulling away?"
Ben shook his head. "I thought about it, but I don't want to push her. Like Julian said, she's got enough to deal with."
"She might be thinking she's doing you a favor by pulling back," Kiara said gently.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Kiara exchanged another look with Julian before continuing. "From what you've said about her, Amelia seems like someone who doesn't want to be a burden. Maybe she thinks her health issues would be too much for you to handle in a relationship."
That thought hadn't occurred to Ben. Could Amelia be trying to protect him somehow? The idea made his chest tighten.
He ran a hand through his hair, considering Kiara's words. That sounded exactly like something Amelia would think. He already knew that she hadn’t even told her family about the tests because she didn’t want them to get their hopes up. So it was possible that she thought she was protecting him by distancing herself from him.
"You might be right," he admitted. "She did say something about me deserving someone who could do things at a moment's notice."
"That's probably what's going on," Julian said. "She's trying to protect you from what she sees as a burden."
Ben stood up suddenly, unable to stay seated with the rush of emotions flooding through him. He paced across the room, his footsteps muffled by the plush area rug.
"But that's not her decision to make," he said, frustration evident in his voice. "I know what I can handle. I know what I want."
Kiara's voice was gentle. "Sometimes when people are struggling, they make decisions they think are best for others, even if they don't have all the information."
"She needs to let me make my own choices," Ben said, stopping his pacing to look at them both. "I know exactly what I'm getting into."
“Do you?” Julian raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
The question stopped Ben short. Did he truly understand what being with someone with chronic health issues would mean? The day-to-day reality of canceled plans, of watching someone you love struggle with pain, of the emotional toll it could take?
"I know enough," Ben said after a moment. "I know that I love her.”
The words had slipped out before he could stop them, hanging in the air. Julian and Kiara exchanged another glance, but this time Ben could read their expressions clearly. They weren't surprised.
"Have you told her that?" Julian asked quietly.
Ben sank back into his chair. "No. I hadn't even admitted it to myself until just now."
It was true. He'd been dancing around his feelings, acknowledging his attraction and care for Amelia, but not the depth of what he truly felt. The realization settled over him like a weight and a liberation all at once.
"I love her," Ben repeated, the truth of it settling more firmly in his chest with each passing second. "I think I've known for a while now, but I was afraid to admit it."
"Why afraid?" Kiara asked, shifting her legs off Julian's lap to sit up straighter.
Ben rubbed the back of his neck, trying to organize his thoughts. "Because loving her means risking losing her again. And this time would be worse because I'm not a teenager anymore. This is…" He gestured vaguely, searching for the right words. "This love is real in a way it wasn’t back when we were teens. I know more now about relationships, and I understand that they’re not all sunshine and roses. I’m not blind to the struggles Amelia has, and they will, to some degree, become my struggles if we’re in a relationship.”
Julian smiled at him. “You’ve grown up.”
“I didn’t really have much choice,” Ben said. “Dad made sure I did.”
“Pray about it,” Kiara encouraged. “Ask God for guidance and to prepare both your and Amelia’s hearts.”
“We’ll be praying for you both,” Julian added. “And if you need to talk to someone about it, Kiara and I are always here for you.”
