‘‘The heart wants what it wants…’’

Ah yes; those are good points! Please pardon me. XD; I keep forgetting that bit about the soul thing, perhaps because I’m not sure in what way Al wants his soul, like if he plans to separate it from the rest of him or what. And not sure what he wants it for specifically, either.

Would definitely make sense, though, if by saying he’s only after Ethan’s soul that he means he’s only after/only loves the part of Ethan that reminds him of Adrian.

Yeah, Al has been really good at being cagey when it comes to his feelings and motivations.

I think part of why he believes it won’t happen in the real world, is because Al has very simply stated a fact: he wants his soul. Not him. And we know that he wants it, because it seems to be connected to the lover he had and lost. I think it’s perfectly normal for Ethan to have doubts about what Al actually wants from him. And in those misunderstandings/grey areas, it’s very easy to feel like you’ll never be loved by someone who didn’t want you in the first place.