Merlin, it would have made things so much easier if he thought she was telling the truth. He wished he could believe her. Nothing would have made him feel better than to just wrap his arms around her waist, pull her into a hug, and tell her that he wasn't going to do this, that he'd only said it because he thought it was his fault. Which - he might have, because he had the urge to hug her and he did think it was all his fault, but that would have contradicted the point he was trying to reach.
This wasn't working.
"How about this, then?" His voice was quiet, but shaky. Hers was shaking, too, so at the very least there wasn't the added embarrassment of being the only emotional one. He failed to meet her eye, because he wasn't sure he could get his words out if he had to stare into her wide, sad, blue-as-the-sky eyes. "I love you, and I need to let you go before... before it ruins your future. That matters more to me." She wouldn't be Sloane anymore if she gave up her quidditch passion; it was the thing they'd bonded over initially, the thing that kept them glued together even when they fought. He couldn't let her lose that.
This wasn't working.
"How about this, then?" His voice was quiet, but shaky. Hers was shaking, too, so at the very least there wasn't the added embarrassment of being the only emotional one. He failed to meet her eye, because he wasn't sure he could get his words out if he had to stare into her wide, sad, blue-as-the-sky eyes. "I love you, and I need to let you go before... before it ruins your future. That matters more to me." She wouldn't be Sloane anymore if she gave up her quidditch passion; it was the thing they'd bonded over initially, the thing that kept them glued together even when they fought. He couldn't let her lose that.
