"And if the feeling does not pass? What then?" Melchior shakes his head. "There are no guarantees in either direction, to tell or not to tell, just degrees of frustration until something is done about it."

He doesn't really like hearing these things himself; he wonders how Moritz would feel if he heard them. What if they break up? Have a falling out? It's hard to imagine life without Moritz again; it's bleak and empty and cold and Melchior doesn't want to go back there.

"There comes a point when it must become a relationship in order to save the friendship." He hesitates a moment, then sighs softly. "Trust me, I know."