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"Of course I should have" Noel snaked his ar to me, Aria"

Aria rested her head on his shoulder It was all she wanted to hear Noel hadn’t snuck into her bedroo in her closet; he’d been with a jewelry dealer buying her an a else she’d discovered could be explained, too--it was just a ent Fuji Even that he’d known Tabitha It was aterrible Noel wasn’t out to get her

She shot forward and kissed Noel hard on the lips He kissed like he always did, softly and sweetly and with abandon, as though Aria was the only girl he’d ever kissed in his life She shut her eyes and let herself sink into the ht then

She pulled back and sniffed hard "Hey" Noel wiped a tear off her cheek "Why are you crying?"

Aria fumbled for a napkin to wipe her eyes "I’m really happy" She lifted her wrist "And this is so beautiful" And just like that, a weight was lifted off her shoulders

"You’re welcome" Noel squeezed her waist and lowered his voice "What do you say we get so--just you and me, happy?"

Aria smiled slowly "That sounds wonderful," she said in almost a whisper

But she kneould be difficult, too She would tell Noel everything tonight, she decided About A About Real Ali About the painting Even about Tabitha Noaround She needed him as an ally, not someone she feared All of this would be out in the open, and they’d fight A together

The volume in the bar rose More people filled the seats next to them It was far too noisy in here--and too public in the ballroo on the very place where they could talk about everything without anyone hearing "Co her hand to pull Noel off the stool "Let’s go to the graveyard"

27

The Most Io lot at the Bill Beach Hanna had told hiotten here from Philly in nine minutes and forty-three seconds, which was probably some kind of record Hanna was pretty sure he’d done a hundred miles per hour up the expressway

Mike circled the lot once, then again Every space was full "So the door handle "Let me off at the front door and meet me inside"

Mike twisted his mouth like he didn’t like that idea much, but Hanna was already out the door before he could protest

As she crossed the parking lot, her phone beeped a few tiht now She had to get to Grahaown, heels, and makeup, but Hanna swished past the her name at the front desk, she took a sharp left and took off down Graham’s hallway TVs flickered in the overstuffed rooms Visitors sat placidly on couches But at the end of the hall, where Graha up in bed just outside Graham’s partitioned-off space She waved when she saw Hanna "What’s going on?"

Hanna shrugged, then ducked inside Grahaone He writhed back and forth, his eyelids fluttering His dry lips mouthed a word "Graham?" a nurse shouted into his face

"Graham?" Hanna leaned over the bed, too "Are you awake?"

A nurse glared at her "Who are you?"

Hanna blinked

"It’s okay," Kelly said behind the into the curtained-off space with a tray of needles and medication "Hanna’s a volunteer" She looked at the other nurses "I can handle this for a uys check on his parents They said they were on their way"

The nurses disappeared Kelly touched Graham’s forehead, then looked at his o," she told Hanna "We lowered his dose of pain meds to see if he’d talk, but he still seems out of it"

"Kelly?" someone shouted behind the curtain "Mrs Johnson in one-seventeen is having a seizure We need you on it"

Kelly’s eyes darted back and forth "What a night," she muttered She placed a hand on Hanna’s shoulder "Watch him for a sec, okay?"

Hanna blinked "And do what?"

"Just don’t touch hiht back" Then Kelly vanished down the hall Hanna turned back to Grahaers curled and uncurled He pawed at the IV tubes in his hands andsounds

"Graham?" she said softly "Can you hear me?"

Graham’s eyelids fluttered A scratchy whisper of a word caled to say