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"If you don’t hold hands and you don’t do boyfriends, then what do you do?"

She sighs "Pretty ot quite a reputation, you know In fact, it’s possible the two of us may have had sex before and we don’t even realize it"

"Not possible You’d reain and as hbut kiss her again

"Are you actually good looking?" she asks skeptically

"Terribly good looking," I reply

"Let reat abs, white teeth, Abercroht brown hair, correct on the eyes, abs, and teeth, but Ale Outfitters all the way"

"Impressive," she says

"My turn," I say "Thick blonde hair, big blue eyes, an adorable little white dress with ahat, royal blue skin, and you’re about two feet tall"

She laughs loudly "You have a thing for Suy can dreahter actually makes my heart hurt It hurts because I really want to knoho this chick is but I know once I find out, I ht now

She inhales a breath after her laughter subsides and then the room becomes quiet So quiet, it’s al back in here after today," she says softly

I squeeze her hand, surprised by the sadness I felt at that confession

"I’ht away, but soon This summer I just think it’d be silly if I caht or we’ll slip up and say our names and I just don’t think I want to knoho you are"

I graze my thumb over her hand "Why’d you come back today, then?"

She exhales a delicate breath "I wanted to thank you"

I laugh softly "For what? Kissing you? That’s all I did"

"Yeah," she says,uy has actually just kissed me? After I left last week I tried to reuy has ever kissed me, he’s always been in such a hurry to move on to what comes after the kisses that I don’t think anyone has ever taken the tienuine kiss before"

I shake ive me too much credit I’ve been known to want to rush past that part in the past I just didn’t really care to rush past it last week because you’re a pretty phenomenal kisser"

"Yeah," she says confidently "I know I love to me could feel like"

I s the sudden lump in ht now"

Her legs stop swinging next to me I don’t know if I just made her uncomfortable with that comment

"You knohat else is sad?" she asks "No one’s ever made love to me before"

This conversation is headed in a weird direction I can already tell

"You’re young Plenty of tiinity is actually a turn-on, so you have nothing to worry about"

She laughs, but it’s a sad laugh this tihs

"I ain," she says "That’s why it’s sad I’ backI’ve never loved any of them None of them have ever loved me, either Sometimes I wonder if sex with someone who actually loves you is different Better"

I think about her question and realize that I don’t have an answer I’ve never loved anyone, either "Good question," I say "It’s kind of sad that we’ve both had sex, multiple times it sounds like, but neither of us has ever loved anyone we’ve done it with Says a lot about our characters, don’t you think?"

"Yeah," she says quietly "Sure does A lot of sad truth"

It’s quiet for a while and I still have hold of her hand I can’t stop thinking about the fact that no one’s ever held her hand before It irls I’ve had sex with Not that there have been a ton, but enough that I should be able to recall holding one of their hands

"I uys," I ashairl’s hand before"