"Don't get me wrong," she replies, unable to help the pull of a smile at her lips, the quiet will to want to tease him back. "One day, I may decide that you're just too much, but I know you've got other people. For all that you're keen on keeping people out, you haven't managed to succeed," she reminds him.

Though, neither has she. There's a lot more love in her life than she's ever thought she deserved.