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She’s into this She hasn’t sh in the last few days I’ve had with her, but now she can’t stop s her hands together She still has powdered sugar on the corner of her mouth I reach across the seat and wipe it off withto The French Quarter," I tell her "Lots of roh her phone "I wonder e actually used to do for fun Besides take selfies"

"At least they were all good selfies"

She shoots me a look of pity "That’s a contradiction There are no such things as good selfies"

"I’ve been through your ca to differ"

She ducks her head and looks out her , but I can see the pinks of her cheeks grow redder

After we park, I have absolutely no plan We filled up on so nets for breakfast, I’m not sure she’s quite ready to have lunch yet

We spend the first part of the afternoon walking up and down every street, stopping in almost every store It’s as if we’re both so fascinated by the scenery, we forget we have a goal today I’m supposed to make her swoon She’s supposed to swoon and fall in love with me Get back on track, Silas

We’re on Dauphine Street alk past what clairabsme into the store "I’m pretty sure the way to my heart is in here"

There are books stacked floor to ceiling, every which way Sideways, top to bottom, books used as shelves for ht, which is covered in evenas we enter Charlie heads to the back of the store, which isn’t very far away It’s a small store, but there are more books than athe books as she passes theets to the end of the aisle She’s definitely in her ele a corner, pulling a red book off the shelf I walk up behind her and give her another Silas Says task

"Silas says…open the book to a randoe and read the first few sentences you see"

She chuckles "That’s easy"

"I wasn’t finished," I say "Silas says read the sentences at the top of your lungs"

She spins around to face s across herthe book out in front of her "Fine," she says "You asked for it" She clears her throat, and then, as loud as she can, she reads, "IT MADE ME WANT TO MARRY HER! MADE ME WANT TO BUY HER A MAGIC AIRPLANE AND FLY HER AWAY TO A PLACE WHERE NOTHING BAD COULD EVER HAPPEN! MADE ME WANT TO POUR RUBBER CEMENT ALL OVER MY CHEST AND THEN LAY DOWN ON TOP OF HER SO THAT WE’D BE STUCK TOGETHER, AND SO IT WOULD HURT LIKE HELL IF WE EVER TRIED TO TEAR OURSELVES APART!"

Charlie is laughing when she finishes But when the words she read begin to register, her laughter fades She runs her fingers over the sentences like theyto her "That was really sweet," she says She flips through the pages of the book until she coraph Then, in just barely a whisper, she begins reading again "Fate is the netic pull of our souls toward the people, places, and things we belong with"