My heart aches at the pain and uncertainty in his voice. "No," I say quickly, reaching out to take his hand in mine. "That's not what I meant. I just... I don't want things to be like they were tonight."

He looks up at me, confusion clouding his features. "But tonight happened because of who I am now," he says softly. "I don't know if I can go back..."

"You don't have to," I tell him. "Not completely.

Tears prick at my eyes as I squeeze his hand gently. "I won't. And I don't want you to change who you are," I assure him. "I just want us to figure this out together."

He looks down again, chewing on his lower lip. "How do we do that?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We talk," I answer simply. "And we listen to each other. Maybe there's something we didn't understand before.