When Katelyn opened her hostel room door, she found one of her friends at the doorstep who she had met in high school. It had been a long time since she last saw her, and judging from her wearisome and dull appearance, Katelyn realized it was not a happy visit. There was even an open evidence from her sad face that she had been crying.

"Katherine, hi." Katelyn started, almost with concern, "Come in."

"Thank you." Katherine walked inside the room then looked at the friend, "I am glad I found you."

Katelyn closed the door, now looking worried, "Is there something wrong?"

Katherine sighed with a gloomy and morose face, "It's my relationship, Kate. I need your help!"

"Okay..."

Katherine once again sighed, "I had a misunderstanding with Symon that didn't go well."

Katelyn took the friend by the shoulder and led her to one of the beds in the hostel room, then sat, "What was the misunderstanding about?"

"Actually, it is a common misunderstanding between us." Katherine sorrowfully said, "Only this time it ended badly!" She looked straight at the friend, "But before I tell you what it is, can I ask you something? And please, be sincere."

Katelyn certainly nodded, "Of course. I will be totally sincere."

"Okay. I love your novel, Kate. It is my best romantic novel. The best." Katherine mentioned, "Do you have a lover?"

"Yes, I do." Katelyn once again certainly nodded.

"Can you... find it comfortable giving yourself to him?"

The question occurred amazingly odd to Katelyn. She felt that she could proudly and confidently answer it. The feeling she had towards the lover was powerful enough to make her do anything for him, willingly and submissively, "To be honest and sincere, Kath, I will find it comfortable." She spoke from the heart.

"Then why should I not!" Katherine squalled, suddenly frustrated and confounded, "Why can't I find it comfortable when I feel that I love Symon? I know I love him, very much. He completes me. Why should I feel this?"

"Don't blame yourself. It's natural if one doesn't feel ready_"

"I don't think my problem is natural, Kate! What Symon said to me makes it not natural. I can't cross with him a river full of a thousand crocodiles because I am scared of dying. I am scared of the crocodiles! I am scared of taking chances with him. I don't love him enough!"

Katelyn was moved by the friend's distress. She had seen how happy the friend and the lover were back in high school. They were a couple other students admired and envied. Their love was complete. But now it looked different. Does she truly not love him enough? She wondered if that could be true, "Kath, try and calm down." She offered comfortingly, "I am sure you and Symon are meant to be. I have seen how amazing you were. Just talk to him to give you time until you are ready_"

"I have been doing that and he has been understanding since high school. I am already past that with him."

"Then give him satisfying reasons why you feel uncomfortable doing it. Explain that to him."

"The only reason and explanation I have is one; I don't find it comfortable doing it. I can't go past that, because I don't even understand why I am uncomfortable."

"But that should at least make him understand you."

"Yes, he has been understanding, since we were in high school. But he now thinks that I don't love him like he loves me." Katherine said then cleared her face, "What I want you to do, Kate... the help I came for... is to show me how I can prove to him that I am ready to do it, even if I have to force myself. All I want is to make him happy. He deserves it for the amazing and wonderful things he has done for me."

"Are you sure about that?" Katelyn sounded irresolute, "Katherine, a fulfilling and lasting relationship is where both the partners don't feel pressured to do certain things for the other. If that happens the relationship is bound to fail."

"And if I don't do this we will continue to pull apart and the relationship will eventually fail!" Katherine said with guarantee, "I don't want this anymore. I don't want to lose Symon. He is special in my life, and I want to fight for what we have. Will you not do anything to reconcile back with your lover? Will you not fight for what you shared and experienced? Or save what you have and get back to him?"

The question touched Katelyn surprisingly, clashing with the values she knew that held and thrived relationships and unions. I would die for Lei if need be! She slowly and calmly nodded, "I will do anything."

"That is exactly what I want to do." Katherine said with a final resolve, "I don't want the worst to happen and find myself out of his life. I want him a part of my life forever, no matter what the cost."

Katelyn stared at her, now sure she wouldn't be able to help the friend in the best possible way. Surely when it comes to love affairs, sometimes one is drawn to desperate resolve.