"Marry me," he whispers in my ear, his hands holding me close to him. "Willow marry me."
My eyes are locked on his and I can feel the tears already gathering in them. A piece of me so desperately wants to say yes. Yet I know I can't. I open my mouth to explain but his lips press against mine. I lean into the kiss, wishing the moment could stay like this forever. As he pulls away, I'm afraid. The thought of forcing him away from me is unbearable but I am not ready. "I love you but I just-"
He smiles, shaking his head a little, causing me to stop talking. "You just have to say no. I don't need your excuses, I know them already." His smile grows a little. "I have them memorized Willow. After the first few times I wrote them down and I memorized them. As they fade, one by one I plan to cross them off and when you finally say yes, we are going to go and burn it. I want it to be the first thing we do when we get engaged."
"Darky you know I might never be ready," I say, but he's pulled a smile onto my face. I press my lips to his again, pulling him closer. "I'm never going to leave you but..." I sigh, looking away and biting my lip. "This isn't how I want it to go. I don't you to be trapped with someone who will never take it further." I take a deep breath, knowing I have to at least say it. "You have to move on Dark... I'm not the girl for you... I'm not going to go farther than this."
He laughs, spinning me in a circle. He leans close and whispers, "You my dear are not scaring me away that easy."
Relief washes through me but then I feel guilty. "No you have to go," I whisper back, taking in his scent. The smell of forest sinks into me and I pull away. "You have to leave Dark. Now."
He pulls away, shaking his head. "Willow you don't have to push me away. I'm willing to wait with you. I love you Willow and there is no one else I will ever love like this." He takes a step forward, his hand slipping around me again as he repeats, "I love you."