There was a pause as Lilia tried to make sense of his words.
'What exactly did he mean?'
His voice was calm, but she had felt the serious edge beneath it. There was weight in his words, something that made her chest tighten with uncertainty. Why was he telling her this now?
Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, then closed again. She couldn't find the right words. He was asking her to tell him she would never have feelings for him—but was he also trying to say that he wouldn't have feelings for her?
She could still feel his hands resting on her waist, their warmth lingering despite the cool water surrounding them. The soft sand beneath her feet pressed gently against her skin, and the waterfall's mist clung to their damp hair as they stood there, staring at each other.