He had been staring at Soren until he flew off because she'd practically told him to go away, his gaze turned to her and he was surprised to see her closer than before. Grinning, his arms snaked around her waist as she abruptly threw herself onto his lap. He looked at her amusedly for a moment, about to say something about her liking the idea, but was silenced instantly by her kiss. There was something different about it, though he couldn't put his finger on it.

As she pulled away, he blinked at her, half astonished and half ecstatic, it felt amazing to be kissed like that. His expression froze onto his face at her next words though. The only difference was that his eyes widened slightly. And it seemed she'd surprised herself too! What did he say to that? It'd only been a few months and while he liked her more than he could ever describe, was he ready to call it love? The tears falling from her eyes tugged at his heart because he didn't know what they were for? Regret? Overwhelming happiness? He just didn't know.

Ed cleared his throat and looked down at the floor for a few seconds, trying to work it out in his head before he said anything. "Nell..." He looked back at her, fixing her with his gaze to make sure she didn't misunderstand him. "I like you a lot, so much that sometimes it scares me and I think with some time... I might be able to say it back, but... not yet." He just needed some time to accept it himself and work it all out in his head first, but he was sure he'd say it back because his feelings for her were intense.