He was my best friend, my protector, the beating of my heart, the blaze that set my body on fire, the boy I adored, the man I loved, the person I couldn't live without.
For me, it took one press of his lips on mine to understand loving Gabriel Romero was my only option. He would forever be my only option. So I had no choice. It was my turn to protect him, even if it ripped our lives apart.
—Lyric Whitfield