that light wasn't even orange

That's what I had said to him as we drove last Saturday morning to his conference.
"That light wasn't even orange," I'd quipped.
He hadn't known what that joke meant.
I'd had to explain that "orange" referred to a yellow light that turned red either as you were passing under it or shortly thereafter. The expression meant that he had just run a light that was already 'fully red' before he even entered the intersection.
Yeah, that was one of "hey, nineteen" times.

This evening, almost 8 PM, I finally heard from him.
"Hi, Tina, I needed a moment to process what you shared with me. I'm sorry if I have been aloof or misled you. You are a very dear friend but I just can't return the feelings you're describing. I know you took a chance sharing this. And I certainly don't want to hurt your feelings but I just don't know what to do at this point."
I texted back immediately.
"Thank you for responding. I value our friendship and honesty with each other."

I wonder what, if anything, the future holds for us.