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She spouted off the words, not co until it was already past her lips and lingering in the air between them

"I’m not that petty of a person," he said

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You’d have to trust me"

"I can’t," she said "I don’t trust people"

"But you trust hie that"

"Fine, but that doesn’t mean you can’t trust me, too"

She stared at hio"

She walked away, pausing briefly when he called out to her "Haven? You look beautiful Carmine may be an asshole, but he’s a lucky asshole"

She smiled "Thank you, but I think I’ for the soda, Haven drove back to the DeMarcos’ house to find a new shiny sports car parked out front As she opened the front door, she was about to call out for Car took you so long?"

She sighed, not bothering with an answer If he was in a bad e it

She paused in the doorway to the kitchen, stunned at the sight of him He had on a black suit with a blue tie and a pair of black Nikes Car down her body as she set the soda on the counter and handed one of the cans of Coke to hi her

She turned to leave the roorabbed her ar"

His eyes flickered to her mouth, and he kissed her sweetly She parted her lips, welco him to deepen it, but instead he pulled away It had become a common occurrence the past feeeks, a consequence of his recent telass with ice as she headed for the fa her hands in her lap to wait Carlass down on the table, a plastic container in his other hand He pulled a blue and gold flower out of it and slipped it on her wrist "It’s a corsage"

"It’s beautiful," she said, gazing at it

The front door to the house opened, and Dr DeMarco walked in "That’s a nice car outside," he said right away, forgoing any type of greeting

Caro back tomorrow"

Dominic and Tess showed up a few runtled Dia They huddled outside to take so, Carrabbed Haven’s hand and pulled her away He hesitated at his car, scanning it for da toward the rental "I’ve alanted a Vanquish I feel like Ja this motherfucker"

"Jaent?" She shook her head, and he sighed "It’s a movie"

"Sorry," she said "I’ve never seen it"

"It doesn’t et in She wanted to believe him, but his frustrated expression told a different story

The drive to the restaurant was quiet as Haven’s nerves ran amuck After about thirty minutes, she couldn’t take the silence anymore and atteet one of these instead of yours?"

He laughed dryly "This costs six times more than my Mazda There’s no way my father would fork over a quarter- he’d spend that much on is a house" He paused "Or you,She blinked a few ti herself not to let her hurt show as she turned to stare out the

"And I guess it’s pretty, if you can call a car pretty"

Haven didn’t speak the rest of the drive

They arrived at the restaurant, and Carmine led her inside to join the others He occasionally said so hile they ate, but someone would diffuse the situation before it spiraled Haven wasn’t fond of this side of Carmine It was a part of him she wasn’t well acquainted witha part of him she didn’t want to know