She never quite said it did she? But then, he never said it either. Before she could pull away again, before she could put that distance between them once more, he grabbed her gently around the waist to hold her in place. He didn't even think about it. 

"You think entirely too much" he said softly, brushing away any tears that fell. "The word is love. You never meant to love me. But that's okay. I always meant to love you. I know how we got here. I never gave up. It was also heartening to see you relax, as much as you can, and enjoy yourself when we went out." 

He knew that she doubted she was deserving of something like this. He constantly tried to show her otherwise. She questioned it Everytime. He knew it was because of her parents and grandmother. "Your right. You ruined me" he said abruptly. "I can't ever go back. And I don't want to. Because I would have been content to just drift along in life. You made me see my worth, and by God, I've been chipping away to try and make you see yours. You won't ruin me. Not the way you think"

He was well aware the cafeteria was emptying as students went to class, and he didn't care. "Kijani" just her name, as if it were everything in the world, as if it was the most important thing he would ever say, before he kissed her softly, caringly.