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"It’s not your fault," she replied, her voice scratchy "I’ so weak"

"You aren’t weak," he said "You have every right to be shaken up Fuck, I’irl unless she wants to be touched That’s so my mom made sure we understood--a woman’s body is a temple, and you should never enter it without an invitation"

He paused and ran his fingers through his hair It was difficult to talk about, but he wanted to share this with her "I don’t know details, butShe spent ti as an advocate after that My father still donates o where she worked"

Haven scooted closer to him "Wow"

"That’s the reason I don’t want you to feel like we have to do anything Your body is your temple, and I won’t come in it unless you want hed to hi I didn’t mean it that way"

Haven lifted her head to look at hi about what you said?"

Of course she wouldn’t get the perverted connotation "I don’t think now is the tied and laid her head back down

The roo as it blew fro Haven took one of Car them at her chest He felt her breath as her lips brushed across his swelling knuckles

He s, tesoro?"

"I’rew "Nothing you think is stupid"

"Well, do you think" She paused to take a deep breath "Do you think you could ever love someone like me?" She whispered the question, and he froze Before he could gather his thoughts and answer, Haven cut in again "I told you it was stupid"

Devastation shook her voice as she took his hesitation as rejection She found the nerve to bring up a subject he wasn’t brave enough to broach, to utter the word love that terrified hi her he clammed up "Haven, I could never love someone like you, because there isn’t anyone else like you You’re one of a kind"

The hauntinghiht of the vacant alley Her words filtered past the gloo, her voice soft "My sole," she whispered Her sun She called hi out the tortuous notes It was such a beautiful night that she wanted to walk houe His mom was infallible He would always believe in her

It caes flashed before him, so fast and frenzied he could barely keep up Tires screeching The terror on her face Voices cold, their words brutal

"Run, Carmine!" she yelled "Run, baby, and don’t stop!"

Her screaht, but no one was around to help Carmine stayed frozen, because he couldn’t leave without her He didn’t want to go alone He was her sole, her sunHe couldn’t bear to leave her in the dark

"If you love me, Carmine Marcello, you’ll run," she said as tears spilled from her eyes He hesitated, terrified, but at the last second he fled

"Shut her up!" ascreah the alley Carmine’s steps waned, and he turned back around They were hurting his mom She needed him

The men were shrouded in black, but in the flicker of the streetlight, he saw the flash of a face It was a blur, a unshot ricocheted in his ht and clutched his chest as he tried to get his heart to slon Glancing beside him in the dim room, he saw Haven’s eyes ide-open, her expression layered with concern

Falling back onto the bed, he ran his hands down his face Sweating and shaking, his breathing erratic, he half expected Haven to run when he reached out to her She didn’t, though Instead, she allowed hi

Tears built up as he cleared his throat "I was eight, and it was my first piano recital It was late when it was over, and my mom wanted to walk home She didn’t want to wait for a car to pick us up We took a shortcut through an alley, and a car pulled up--a black car with dark s"