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A knowing look filters into her eyes She’s very much aware I haven’t kept in touch with Oliver, yet I don’t indicate any censure Instead, she leans forward in a conspiratorialinvolved with this uy and they would spend weekends on Cape Breton You know Oliver, it was just a screw to hiether, and because he really liked having his trophy wife on his arm, he just merely de, poor stud"

"And what did she do?" I ask, caught up in the juicy details of this forbidden affair

Relishing the power of her tale, Vale hunches forward a little more "Well, Oliver of course was just in it for the hot sex I mean, Nina is smokin’, but she’s also really nice too But she knew Oliver wasn’t offering her any commitment, or at least he’d oodbye and went back to her loveless ," I mutter

"But it’s not the end," Vale says slyly, and sits back in the booth With an i to Avery, Oliver realized he loved her and marched up to their mansion on the bay, stormed inside, and carried Nina out over his shoulder"

"You’re kidding?" I say, not able to see Oliver doing so like that It fills otbabies They’ll be beautiful too"

We’re interrupted when the waitress co I look to Vale "Mind if I just hang out here with you?"

She shakes her head and takes another bite of her salad I turn back to the waitress "I’ll just have a burger and fries And a Coke"

"Have that out in a jiff," she says, and scurries off

"So Oliver’s still in Sydney?" I ask as I turn back to Vale

"He is now They had actually moved to upstate New York where Nina’s from, but then decided he o He’ssupply warehouse Nina is a receptionist at a veterinary clinic"

"Wow," I say in wonder, a sudden feeling of reive hi my mind "He’d love to hear from you"

Weirdly, an odd sense of hope and exciteh me In theto the Cold Fury, I’ve been reconnected tolife I had good friends, even better times, and despite the way our paths veered apart, the possibility of having theether makes me feel uniquely joyous

"You know, I think I will," I say as the waitress returns with h, the very one I remember froain and says, "So, I’ll tell you more about the whole Nina scandal There was a rumor her rich, old husband had soot started up, but for the longest time after Oliver carried her out of the house, ere all convinced he was going to sith the fishes or so You should have seen Oliver…"

I sit there and listen to Vale Her voice is light, carefree, and melodic I let her fill me in on the details of et swept away in the ht pure hours of sleep last night, I’h to catch up on all of the late nights and early h the past feeeks Still, I went to sleep with a sether It was nice

Casual

Fun

When he first sat down atone as soon as he apologized for what happened at the party In hindsight, I’retful over what happened in the bathroom, but it was a bit of a bal waves with Todd and er and secrets and blas for s for him

That became evident to eneral rebellion against the notion of a lifeti for what I had lost with the ht I was supposed to be with the rest of ood hen I woke up this o hotel room all squirmy with frustration because of a dirty drea him my cover-up tattoo job, or the way in which I can all too clearly remember how much I wanted hiot his nah to be held for all eternity

We practically tumbled into our apartment We were drunk, a little stoned, and had just come home fro at clothes, deep wet kisses punctuated with groans

We stumbled into the bedroom, completely naked by the time we fell to the mattress Well, almost completely naked I had a sterile pad held in place over Hawke’s naht hip, where he had tattooed VALE in a flowing script of dark green ink