Now that Phoenix had said how he felt, it seemed like he had always felt this way, like he was destined to fall in love with Mac. It seemed like the natural order of things, or something. But now it was all he could think about: protecting Mac, saving him, being in love with him.

"You heard me," he said with surprising boldness, "I'm in love with you. And I can't live with myself if you get hurt again."

It didn't strike Phoenix that this was rather abnormal, that he barely knew the guy, that he didn't want to sacrifice everything for some sick, obsessive love like he once did in college. He had fallen in love with Dahlia practically at first sight, so it was only perfectly logical that he would fall in love with Mac so quickly. But the illogical part was everything else. It just didn't register at all.