"No, you have not hurt me...far from it." He reaches up and scrubs a his hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes again. "I just have not felt such a strong connection before, when I have been involved with another partner. That was..."

Part of his mind pulls but it is met with only haze and darkness, that tendril of familiarity that he cannot seem to grasp, no matter how hard he tries.

"I have always had to hide my true self. To be free..."

He swallows hard, clears his throat. Moves his hand back to stroke again at her hair, settling his body in as close to hers as he can get.

"Accepted. Acceptance," he corrects himself. "I have not known that feeling in...a very long time. I think my mind has just...forgotten how to react."