"But you just did!" Sam snapped harshly, zipping up his bag harder than it needed to be zipped. He stood up and started buttoning his shirt just to give his hands something to do.

"You just did, Natalie," Sam said, calming down just slightly now. "Because I asked you to tell me you wanted to end it and you didn't deny it. You are speaking in past tense. You 'gave', you 'wanted', you've 'tried.' It's past tense. I'm not stupid. And you haven't said anything else one way or the other!"