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I put the car in reverse and catch her gaze "Are you ready?"

"More than ready" Her voice is hoarse but definitely not weak

I put h She jumps a little when I circle rabs lance her way as I hop on the freeway

"Yes," she says with forced exaggeration

"Really? Because it doesn’t sound that way"

"I’

I exit the freeway and stop at the light "Co her over to o of her and take her chin in my hand "Okay, what’s the matter, Red? Do you not want to do this?"

"No, that’s not it at all It’s just" She pauses

The light turns and I dropto see her

Her eyes widen like saucers "You have to proh"

I want to promise, I really do, but the face she h e and she dropped the Kama Sutra book on the floor

Her lips purse and her eyes narrow on h"

"You haven’t even told hter It’s so strange how she can lift ?" she scoffs

"You made a face that reminded me of the first ti through books and you dropped that book on the floor"

Her gaze softens "You re up in front of her nicely kept Spanish-style apart toward her, I run ain she juhter dissolve as I turn toward her in the dark of the night "What’s going on?"

"Nothing really I just feel a little sunburned"

I flick the doht on in the car Fuck me, she’s the color of a lobster "A little! Have you put anything on it?"

"No, not yet Honestly, I didn’t start to feel it until I got to the party"

"What kind of sunblock was that you put on?"

"Actually I didn’t have much sunblock left, so I poured a little moisturizer in the bottle It said it had SPF in it"

I shakecool on it"

I’ is, but even then I see her body tighten in discomfort She leads me up the stairs and to the door of her apartment that from the outside I knoell When she opens it and walks through, I catch sight for the first time of where she lives Candles are scattered all around, a bottle of sparkling water with two glasses sits on her coffee table, and her bikini is thrown on the back of her sofa I try to ignore the intiaze over the rest of the room There isn’t much furniture--the sofa, the coffee table, a television, and a small stereo unit on the floor I look over toward the kitchen--a few barstools, but no table under the light in the corner I know she’s lived here for a while, but it looks as if she justthe door behindthere"

I walk up behind her "It looks like you were expecting company"

She tosses her keys and twists her head back to rest ona nuisance of hireet all nuisances who invite themselves over?" I bend down to kiss her lips and rest my hands on her shoulders

"Ouch," she exclaiht switch, and flick it on "Turn around, lether heels off

I circle over to her and take a look "You have blisters on your lips"

She slaps her hand to her iveso hard a few tears drip fro down the hall "Oh God, they’re huge"

I walk down the hallway and see her looking in the bathroom mirror "Let me see"

She turns toward ht have sun poisoning"

"Do you think so?"