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"Why don’t you like the idea ofthat?"
"BecauseI dunnoit just seeh to be the one"
"Well, unless you’re offering to popto be someone to do it"
He falls silent
I turn, but I can’t see hi
"I was kidding, dude"
"And if I wanted to?" he finally says, his voice low
I laugh "You don’t want to That would be aard"
"How do you know I don’t want to?"
"Because you told me I’m like a sister and you picked my perfect match as Kenny"
He snorts "Yeah, well, then I saw you in that dress"
My cheeks burn and I’m thankful he can’t see it "And told me I looked like a cheap slut"
"Because I was pissed, because I didn’t want any other fucker seeing you like that I never saw you like that, Emy, but then I saw you, really saw you, and fuckyou’re beautiful"
Soht to h of a reason for me to blur the lines of our friendship, Rai"
"You think it would do that?" he asks seriously
"I honestly don’t know Kissing you was nice, and it didn’t affect anything between us, but sexit’s a bond, a connection, it’s trust"
"You think we don’t have those things?"
"We have all of them, but we’re not even attracted to each other Don’t you think that would matter?"
"You’re beautiful Why does there need to be more to it?"
He thinks I’m beautiful I love that more than I ever expected and that scares me
"Because we have more than most people We have a bond and a friendship If we risked it, or things went bad, I’d never forgiveme in that far"
I flinch beside him I aet pushed, that I’ll realize I care about Rainerfear that there’s an e down, because I’m scared of what it’ll mean
"You don’t love me, Rai"
"Love you fuckin’ more than Jack the sack"
"And that’s exactly what makes it different With him, I could move on if it went badwith youit’d kill me"
"I hear you, kid Believe me, I do I don’t want to ruin e have here either, butI dunno, it al to do, because we trust each other"
I reach over and take his hand "You know, I have no doubt it would be aivebad, or worse"
"Going good," he says, his voice low
"Yeah," I admit
"You scared you’d fall in love with me?"