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He put his body between the rips andonly at an to circle her, and I held on to Dune instead of being absorbed into the lives of those already dead

"Can you get us out?" he asked

I’d have to make a choice

I stared atto wave the rips in my direction

I took Dune’s hand and closed the rip world

I left my mother behind

My hair was still wet from the shohen I climbed into his lap, which was et out She’s not activated She doesn’t have enough strength to sustain the hand ran slow circles over my back "Are you okay?"

"At least I know the truth now"

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked

I wanted to call ht now Right now let’s talk about how you got this scar" I ser over his eyebrow

"I fell off the kitchen counter when I was three"

"Why were you on the kitchen counter?"

"I was trying to get glue off the top of the fridge so I could attach my Matchbox cars to the coffee table"

"I bet you were aNo mother would’ve been able to resist those eyes "Do you have siblings?"

"Three Two of them own a kick-ass resort on the Kona coast Obviously, I’ve never been to visit The other is in med school at USC"

"You’re the baby?"

"Yep"

I tickled hiot his hands near the places I wanted them When he didn’t, I kissed him and slid my hands up the back of his shirt

"Hallie We need to talk about today I don’t want you to s the truth It’ll burn a hole through you"

"Why can’t we act like everything is normal?" I removed my hands, put them in my lap "Just for today?"

"Don’t think I wouldn’t rather be kissing you" He laid one on me that made my toes curl for posterity "Because I would But I’d also like to be kissing you next week and next ure this out, that won’t--"

"Next year" I leaned back to look at hiht and true "But you have to be here"

"You think there’s a chance I won’t be?"

When he didn’t answer, I pushed away fro So I didn’t have to see the truth on his face

"You aren’t the only one who loses if this situation goes wrong," he said "I didn’t see you co, and then you were there, and now … you’re everywhere"

"I never wanted to belong to soain