"I love you, but…" Frederic paused as though he, like Jazz, had finally run out of ways to end that sentence.
I love you but—
He almost laughed at the painfully familiar words, almost dared the pianist to come up with a reason he hadn't heard a dozen times before, but he couldn't have said anything if he tried. His heart was too high in his throat.
"I love you, Jazz, but you don't love me back."
There was the taste of outrage in his mouth and Jazz wanted to deny the words, wanted to scream to the gods that that was a lie, he was in love, love, love with the most beautiful man on the face of the planet… but the words wouldn't come. There was nothing to say. Frederic was right and it hurt like hell.
"I… tried to." That's all he could say, the only truth he could think of, and Frederic smiled. A sad smile.
"I know."