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I congratulatedthe latter

Until I walked out of Brooke’s rooht (another Reid-related panic attack) to see E to her rooo to my room and beat ate the da Brooke’s rooht

I knew the best case scenario for keeping Eth was to let her assume Brooke and I were involved She was already halfway there; all I had to do was nothing Then the i flashed across my mind’s eye, and my memory conjured the smell of the rain on her skin and in her hair I considered the easy rapport we’d established, and the comfort I felt when she was near In a fit of unprecedented i myself in, and before I left her room I’d held her and kissed her and fallen so hard that I was happy to be broken into bits

24 hours later: Emma and Reid’s kiss-seen-around-the-world The kiss that occurred the night after hter was rushed to the hospital, unable to breathe The night I’d stoically accepted a blistering lecture fro and Cara’s asth plan to help hter, was the anticipation of returning to the first girl I’d fallen for since Zoe

And then Brooke texted me the photo froossip sites the next day, though she swore she only sent it to "a couple of trusted friends" I didn’t chastise her, not really, though I was disappointed that she’d be so careless Her defense was that Reid and Emma had kissed in public, and anyone could have taken a photo of theh--you did," I said

She shrugged "The point isn’t the picture The point is the kiss"

She was right For me, the point was the kiss

Noe have less than three hours together, and we’re on the street and I’ with the fact that I was in such a fog this rab a jacket when I left the house I glance down at her, hunched and shivering in her thin sweater Nestling her against round, I think" We head for the descending stairs and hop on the R The view froe into Brooklyn can make you fall in love with New York, if you haven’t already

Once we’re seated in the sparsely occupied car, Emma leans her head on htly clasped on o for the turnstile "Let’s play Truth or Dare," I say, "but without the Dare"

Her brows elevate "I thought you weren’t a gauy"

I smile down at her "I did say that, didn’t I?" She nods "All right, then Let’s not call it a ga the hard questions out of the way, because I knoe both have the"

She chews her lip, staring into my eyes "Okay… Why did you kiss h softly and she frowns "Sorry That one’s too easy" My gaze flicks to her gested playing spin the bottle, and by that night in your rooht it"

"Why were you--"

I place ers over her lips and shake ers across her ain, but if I start, I suspect I’ to stop, and we need this talk I’d rather spend the nextover questions never asked or answered

"Why did you kiss Reid the day after you kissed ot, and I want it behind us

She takes a deep breath, staring at our intertwined hands It’s a full ht he hat I wanted" She checks ht nod "I rong I just… didn’t know it yet" Her eyes fill and her voice is uneven "I know that’s not good enough"

Fingers below her chin, I tip her face up so I can look into her eyes "It’s the truth, so it’s good enough Did you… love hier over my lips "Nuh-uh," she says "It’s hs, and a tear escapes the corner of her eye She dashes it aith the back of her hand "But no, I didn’t"

Squashing the urge to beat my chest like a Neanderthal, I pull her closer and inhale her scent, so familiar, even these months later My voice drops "Can I kiss you now?"

Her expression turns coy "Graha to think you don’t understand the concept of taking turns"

To hell with questions We can talk on the phone I can’t kiss her long-distance "Oh, I’ll give you your turn, E the small space between us, I slide my hand behind her neck and touch my lips to hers She presses closer--war down the side of my face as we kiss