"That had nothing to do with you." A lie, but he didn't need to know that. And yes, that was the problem with love. It wasn't certain. There was nothing to stop it starting or ending.

"That's disgusting." He didn't even want to think about a pigeon poop lady. "Never and you've never kept anyone away in your life. What would you know?"

It was better. Safer. And he intended to keep doing it. More difficult to disappoint people or vice versa when you didn't really care.