she could just wait for him to go away again , but then where would this end ? i was just trying to be friendly since he was helping me . he 'd never lost anyone close to him , but he could imagine how hard it would be to lose one of his parents . how long have you had it this length ? '' her fingers moved to the button on the top of the jeans he 'd loaned her , and he tightly gripped the wooden slats on the bench until his knuckles went white . 