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There won’t be any drinking gaovers Everyone is relaxed and nostalgic, knowing that after this one night, there will be a few high profile preether in the future, it will never be this group again

Graha on the floor between Brooke and Emma "Hey, Emma," he says

"Hi" She returns the s to the discussion between the others Nothing else passes between them that I see

"Maybe they’ll want a sequel," MiShaun says "Will and Lizbeth get , bookishness and boredom"

"That’s the way to ruin the idyllic drearees "Shohat it was really like once they got loomy twat!" he says in a falsetto voice

"And you’re just like your mother!" Quinton barks

As everyone leaves a couple of hours later, I take Eently "Euarded, but nods her assent

Emma

"Come sit" Reid takes my hand and leads me to the sofa

"Uuess you don’t have to be there until later…" The excuses tuh my brain disjointedly

"It’s not that late," he says, and I decide to just hear hi my hand "I couldn’t take my eyes off of you"

He’s as beautiful as ever, dark blue eyes sweeping over er, still perfectly disordered I blink, his words settling around me "Reid, what are you--? I e ht, but I should have never given you an ultihtless and juvenile I should’ve waited for you to talk to me I could have explained You’re reasonable and fair, and I’m sure you’d have listened"

My heart slah my body "But… you didn’t wait You didn’t explain You just went off with the first girl, and then the second, third, fourth, Iafter that…"

"I was reactionary, just trying toto show me how unimportant I was And you succeeded"

This is the combat zone we sidestepped when he took up with Blossoo There’d been no confrontation, no breakup My throat closes up now as I fight tears I didn’t think, at the tiht I was just pissed off at his attempts to humiliate me An ambush of e short What he’d done had hurt And apparently still did

He wipes his thu tears "Es irl You were different That’s why I can’t get you out ofive , dark blue, and I know there’s more depth to hiive you," I say "But I can’t forget And I can’t trust you, Reid"

He takes both of my hands in his "I could be different with you" He’s so sincere that it takes everything in ically "You h allbetter"

I stare at our intertwined hands "I don’t want to help you try to be anything I want so more On his own With or without me"

He’s quiet then, and I don’t dare look at him yet "Is there someone else?"