Could she feel any worse? She wasn't sure. He was being so kind to her. And she thought her heart was exploding, because seeing the guy who filled so much of it had evidently left her wanting. The lack of closure had held the potential to drive her mad. It hadn't, of course, for she still considered herself one of the sanest people in the academy.

But all the same, it'd taken one single reunion between her and Sonny for her feelings that she had deliberately crushed down to come back. And it was akin to being taken by love via a twirling storm. And matters of the heart were complicated.

"I-I'm not sweet," she argued. "You shouldn't say such things. But you're sweet enough to cover us both."