"I--actually, yes." Adrien needn't be afraid to show all the love inside him to Sitara. "For all I bemoan his faults, he has his virtues, too. He wouldn't run, but I'd imagine he'd want to. We're casual."

Those words or something similar have been her mantra for the past ten months, repeated to friends and curious alike and whispered to herself when needed so she wouldn't ruin everything by wanting more.