She only told him she loved him

She only told him she loved him, in her mind and heart. "I love you", such tender words that she could not bring herself to say them aloud. She repeated them in her head, knowing the uproar it would cause if she ever uttered them out loud. But he knew- he knew from the shy smiles, her fierce protectiveness. And he loved her too. Neither of them needed to actually say it.