Why Didnt he say 'I love you too'?

She takes your hand and mumbles ‘I love you’
As if her tongue had said it a million times before,
The words simply roll into your heart.
And you know you should say the same,
Because really you’ve loved her since the moment you saw each other as children.
But you don’t say it.
You just nod and smile 
because the beating of your heart is so loud,
That you can’t hear what she says next.

Then two weeks later, when she’s sick,
You bring her a soup to make her feel better
And she looks at you and says ‘I love you’.
Your palms begin to sweat
And you put down the bowl, fearing you might drop it.
And in your head you said it back
But in real life you just froze and started at her.
You saw how the look in her eyes changed 
as if she’d made a terrible mistake.

And it’s been a month 
but she still hasn’t said it.
The last time she called was for help on a homework.
And she doesn’t know that you’ve waited on her porch
For two days in a row.
But just before she comes out,
Reality possesses you
And you run away.
Every step you take burns,
Regretting not saying it back that day she held your hand.

Because each time she said ‘I love you ‘
She brought you to life
And now without her you’re
Dead.

From your window you see her cry
And you cry too 
Because it hurts you to see her hurt.

A week later, you call for the fifth time
And she answers for the fifth time.
You freeze again, 
And at the other line of the phone you hear her soft breaths and you hang up.

Why couldn’t you say it? And why didn’t you?
Because the only person you loved in you life
Was that girl that mumbled into your hand
And made your palms sweaty 
With her “I love you”’s that you never returned.