If Noah hadn't been there for her whenever he wasn't working, Violet would have gone stir-crazy long ago. He was, and always had been, a solid, constant presence in her life, and she would forever be grateful.

Valentine's Day had passed uneventfully, but she wanted to do something nice to show her appreciation. They'd done their usual: pizza and a movie at home.

As children, they'd exchanged Valentine's cards and candy—a typical childhood tradition. As they got older, and Violet became more depressed about being single on what she considered the worst day of the year, the tradition evolved.

They started spending Valentine's Day together in middle school, when most of her classmates had boyfriends. Noah had suggested they could be single together, or something to that effect. Looking back, he’d probably always considered her his Valentine's date.

This year, however, she received flowers and a necklace in addition to the usual chocolates. In return, she gave him his favorite author's newest book. The gifts and the kissing were the main differences.

Violet wanted to make Noah feel loved. She wouldn't have made it through physical therapy without his constant encouragement, and he'd spent an entire weekend helping her unpack after her move. Right now, though, it felt like she was getting much more out of the relationship than he was, and that needed to change.

"Is there anything you need help with, Noah? Or anything you want?" she asked.

"No," he replied, sounding confused. "Why do you ask?"

She shouldn't have been surprised. Her best friend had never hesitated to ask for help when he needed it, which was why she'd spent so much time tutoring him since middle school.

They'd always supported each other, so things usually evened out. But things were different now that they were dating. Violet felt she wasn't giving as much as she was receiving. Noah loved her deeply, but she hadn't fully sorted through her own feelings. It didn't seem fair, but she couldn't rush herself.

With a sigh, she sat up straight. "I don't think I'm doing enough for you as your girlfriend."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you think that?"

It was difficult to explain. It wasn't entirely unlike high school, when he'd been upset that he couldn't help her with her friend problems as she helped him with his studies. No, that was an age difference; this was more of an emotional imbalance. Violet felt like she was taking advantage of him.

Saying "you're more in love with me than I am with you" was impossible, but how else could she phrase it? She loved him—more than anyone else—but not in the way he wanted.

Aside from occasional kissing and cuddling, their relationship was much like their friendship. They both knew things were slow because of her mental block.

Noah had said he'd wait forever, as long as he could be by her side, but it didn't seem fair. He deserved better than relational limbo.

Violet sighed. She'd asked him to wait, but now regretted it. She couldn't lose him, but making him wait…

She buried her face in her hands. "I feel like I'm taking advantage of your feelings because I'm taking so long to sort things out."

"Ah, Vi, you don't need to feel bad about that!" Noah insisted. "The past couple of months have been the best of my life. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Like I said, I can wait as long as you need."

That was the problem. She didn't want to make him wait, but still found making out with him awkward and hilarious.

His earnestness made her feel worse. He shouldn't be so understanding; his feelings were being hurt.

She sometimes wondered if it would be better if she disappeared, stopped burdening everyone, especially now that she was on leave from work. She felt she'd accomplished nothing during her recovery.

Noah noticed her expression and gently tapped her head. "I know that face. That's the 'my-favorite-person-is-daring-to-think-badly-of-herself-in-front-of-me' face. What's wrong now?"

"I feel like a burden to you and everyone else," Violet whispered. "My recovery is taking too long, and my head is a mess."

He cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. His dark eyes were soft.

"Nobody thinks you're a burden, least of all me," he reassured her. "You're going through something difficult; it's normal that your head is a mess. I have your back, no matter what. You would do the same for me."

Violet would, but it wasn't the same. She'd secretly loved him for years; she'd never had to wait for him.

Her dejection lingered, but at least she believed she wasn't burdening Noah. Those thoughts faded as he put his arm around her, pulling her close.

No matter what, Noah's embrace always made her feel safe. That would never change.

(The final sentence about stolen content has been removed as it is not part of the text requiring editing.)