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I unclenchit up to her hair that’s spilled across er, keeping my eyes trained on herher to Hope every now and then, despiteto recall exactly what Hope’s eyes looked like or if she had the sae of her nose that Sky has Every time I start to compare them, I force myself to stop It doesn’t o Sky has proved that she can’t be Hope and I have to accept it The odds of the girl I lost being right here, pressed against ertipsit’s impossible I need to separate the two of the stupid, like refer to Sky by the wrong name

That would suck

I notice her lips are pressed into a tight, thin line and she isn’t speaking any hypnotizing

"Why’d you stop talking?" I ask her, without looking at her eyes I keep ain

"Talking?" she says, her top lip curling up in a grin "Holder, I’ There’s a difference And fro a lick of attention"

The feistiness in her replyattention," I say, lifting up ontoout of it, but definitely to your mouth" I slide out from under her until she’s on her back, then I scoot down until I’ainst ain The fact that she doesn’t resist in the slightest only ht She’s already made it clear she wantsher pressed up against the refrigerator wasn’t the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do

Shit Just thinking about it is al

I drop the strand of hair and watch as ht to her lips I don’t kno the last five seconds just occurred, but I’razes over her mouth like I have no control over my limbs anymore My hand has a mind of its own but I really don’t carenor do I want to stop it

I feel her breath against ertips and I have to bite the inside ofother than what I want Because it’s not hly doubt she wants to taste ht now

"You have a niceit with the tips ofat it"

"You should taste it," she says "It’s quite lovely"

Holy shit

I squeezemy focus away frohs "No way This is your stupid rule; why should I be the one to enforce it?"

Oh, Jesus It’s a gaa to tease the hell out of ive in and kiss her before she’s ready I knoon’t be able to stop And I don’t knohat the hell is going on inside ht now but I really like the way it feels when I’ whatever this is out to make sure she feels the same way, then that’s exactly what I’ll do Even if it takes uess I’ll eeks In the meantime, I’ll do whatever I can to nificant

"Because you know I’ exactly why she needs to help ht because kissing leads to the next thing, which leads to the next thing, and at the rate we’re going we’ll be all out of firsts by next weekend Don’t you want to drag our firsts out a little longer?" I pull away from her neck and look down at her, very aware that there is less space between our ht now than between our bodies

"Firsts?" she says, looking up at me curiously "How many firsts are there?"

"There aren’t thatthem out We’ve already passed too many since we rows attractively serious "What firsts have we already passed?"

"The easy ones," I say "First hug, first date, first fight, first ti Noe barely have any left First kiss First tiether e’re both actually awake First e First kid We’re done after that Our lives will beco and I’ll have to divorce you and er thanthe kids" I bring my hand to her cheek and s this for your benefit The longer I wait to kiss you, the longer it’ll be before I’hs and the sound is so toxic I’e luain

"Your logic terrifies me," she says "I sort of don’t find you attractive anye accepted

I slowly slide on top of her, careful to hold ht up with ht noe’d already beon to seconds and thirds "You sort of don’t find ht down into her eyes "That can also mean you sort of do find me attractive"