Rinali's smile faded at Aidou's last words. There was no hostility in her gaze, but she took the affront to her friend seriously. "Allen can be foolish at times, but I've never known him to be disrespectful. He may not always make the best choices, but he does what he does out of a deep compassion for everyone."

She touched her forehead with the tips of her fingers and closed her eyes. "I'm not asking that you ignore things about him that bother you, but it would mean a lot to me if you at least gave him a second chance. He has a lot of redeeming traits, and maybe you just happened to see the worst of him."

She wasn't going to lie to him, or to herself. She knew Allen had a lot of problems, but she also knew of all the things he did that were good, kind, and genuine. "If you still don't think you can get along with him, I'll understand."