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"My relationship with--? E that happened with her… and hio over parts of our lives that no one else we knew could relate to She’s a close friend But a friend is all she’s ever been, and all she’ll ever be"

"So you aren’t in love?"

He looks atmoment "I didn’t say that I said I don’t love Brooke"

"Okay" There must be someone here in NYC So bitten by dozens ofon the inside back of a shirt Like baernails

Not that I know about that last one

"Are you… over Reid?" he asks then "That night at the club, you were so upset"

Reid? I close my eyes and atteht, I was ht I’d had with Emily a week or so before" I opento him is so easy, even now "We’ve been best friends since ere five, but we’ve never said things to each other like that We weren’t speaking, and after everything happened with Brooke and Reid, I needed her I wanted to call her, and I couldn’t I was afraid I’d screwed up so bad that I’d lost her forever"

He considers this "So the whole week before that--the ‘allergies’?"

I knew he'd seen through that ruse He ht I was upset over Reid "Yeah That was about Emily, too"

He scoots out of his booth and intothe two of us from view His hand falls warm onto oing to work Not when he’s this close

I fight to keep irl you love--is she someone I know?"

His expression is full of wonder "Eht behind uity Everything clear"

I nod "Clear is good"

He traces one finger down the side of my face "How’s this for clear," his voice is low and hollow as his fingertips brush over ht wefriends with you is not what I have inue ski my lips, and when I open and kiss him back, it turns deep and possessive and full of proet where we are and I feel it toas he s into ht through them

"You know, I think I’d prefer you keep that particular habit after all," he says, before he kisses ain