"Tell me what you're thinking right now."

He stood a few feet from me now, like he wanted to come closer, wanted to know what demons I was harboring.

I have a theory. My theory is that being in love and falling in love are two different things. You can be in love with as many people as you want. You can fall sleep in the arms of a million people who you think you love. But then in the morning, it can all be gone in an instant."

"So, what about falling in love?" He whispered, inching closer.

"Falling in love is like jumping off a cliff. Meaning, when you jump, you end up with scrapes and cuts that never go away when it's all done. It hurts, so you learn to never do it again."

Now his hands hung just inches from me.

"I have a feeling you've jumped once before, haven't you? And you can't do it again? Not even for me?"

I looked him in the eye this time.

"No. I've never jumped. But, I pushed the one I might have jumped for off of that cliff. I hurt him. He'll never be able to jump again. And I'm afraid karma's a real theory, much more real than mine."

His hands grazed my arm, then dropped to his sides. The room went cold, and I left the windows open.