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"You said ere taking a break"

His lips flattened "Don’t you have to check out of the dorm for several weeks?"

I remained in my spot on the sofa, curled up into the corner "Yes I’round, his palms flat on the door behind him

I tried to s but couldn’t,I need to tell--"

"It’s not that I don’t want you" His voice was soft, and he didn’t look at me when he spoke "I lied, earlier, when I said I was protecting you" His chin came up and we stared at each other across the rooand falling "I don’t want to be your rebound, Jacqueline"

The meie had hatched the plan for h he had no feelings of his own, and I’d gone along with it I had no idea then that he’d been watching , his interest would grow stronger That finally, he would feel the need to turn away fros, not because he felt nothing

"Then why are you assuht little ball I’d become in the corner of his sofa, and walked across the room, slowly "It’s not what I want, either" As I approached, he re on his lower lip into his , he stared down at ht disappear in front of his eyes His hands caonna do with you?"

I ss"

"My mother’s name was Rosehtpressed to his side, I’d been distractedly tracing the dark red petals over his heart, wondering how to tell him what I knew Or if "You did this in er outlined the stehty in the dark rooine how he survived it day after day, never sharing the burden with anyone "And the poem on my left side She wrote it ForNo wonder his father had shut down Froical, analytical person His only emotional exception must have been his wife "She was a poet?"

"Sohost sle His face was scruffy, unshaved, and several places on htly chafed evidence of it

"Usually, she was a painter"

I fought to ignorethat I should tell him what I knew That I owed hienes allonto his side, he echoed, "Engineering parts? Which parts ed at his mouth

I arched a brow and he kissed ers followed an orbit around the rose, and the hardmy hand to his skin, I absorbed the measured thump-thump of his heart

"Yeah… but they’re either in storage, or displayed in the Heller’s place, since they were close friends of my parents"

"Your dad isn’t still friends with theThey can’t get hio there"

I thought about hbors hom they socialized "My parents don’t have any friends close enough to be incorporated into actual holidays"

He stared up at the ceiling "They were all really close--before"

His grief was so tangible I knew in that ht years it had been His protective wall had beco sanctuary He ht never fully recover froht, but there had to be a point where it wouldn’t consu" His heart drummed underhis gaze to me, he didn’t move, but I felt his withdrawal as he waited I assured myself that the disconnection was all inmore

"I wanted to kno you lost your mother, and I could tell it upset you to talk about it So… I looked online for her obituary" My breathing went shallow as the seconds ticked by and he said nothing

Finally, he spoke, and his voice was undeniably flat and cold "Did you find your answer?"

I sed, but my voice was a whisper "Yes" I couldn’t hear myself over the rapid thud of my heartbeat

He shifted his eyes fro his lip, hard

"There’s oneat the ceiling, waiting for my next confession