Love and a Cup of Tea

"I love you," he declared with a flourish.
"Do you now?" She replied.
"Why yes. Do you doubt it?" He asked worried.
"Yes. How much do you love me?" She asked.
"Lots," he quipped with a dashing smile.
"Will you still love me if I tell you to take over all my responsibilities and set me free?" She quizzed.
"What responsibilities?" He squirmed in his space. This was not going the way it should have, he worried.
"Any and every." She said with a smile.
"How about you?" He pouted like a petulant child.
"I asked first." Her smile deepened.
"Unless you tell me, how do I know?" He whined.
"You sure you love me?" She asked with a mocking smile.
"Yes. I do. But..." He let the words hang in the air.
"I know the buts..." She laughed.
"Why are you talking like this?" He asked.
"Because I know you are not ready yet to love me." She smiled into her cup of tea.
"What do you mean?" He asked offended.
"Love is not a word. It is a feeling that is proven through actions. It does not ask why or how." She sighed and turned away to look at something else that needed her attention.