I'd like more than that. Of course I would. [He had already said as much, demonstrated as much. But any affection he offered here and now had been swatted away, so he didn't dare try that again, maining a respectful distance so she didn't feel crowded in.]

But this is about what you want. If you want to think of me as just a friend, or if... maybe those deeper feelings are mutual... Either way, it would be wrong to keep forcing my feelings on you without understanding your perspective.

[Or helping her understand her perspective, as the case might be. He thinks back to the roots and how she had kissed him back, messy and inexperienced as it had been, but that might have just been the shock of the situation. Or the desperation of someone who craved affection of some kind, any kind.]

If... when we kissed before, and you returned it... if you were just playing along with my own selfish whims, I'd prefer to know.