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"Nathaniel!"

"Hey, Nathaniel"

All these people I didn’t care about and didn’t want to talk to ca to chat I shook hands but kept

Find Abby Had to find Abby

I shook someone else’s hand

She hadn’t left, had she? Heard I’d entered the rooood, ht have answered hi beside Linda, just like Todd had said

She looked beautiful

In all my dreams, she’d never looked more perfect I could barely take her in--her upswept hair, the shiown, the way she worried her bottom lip The entire rooet to her fast enough

And still, it took forever to cross the room

She didn’t htful and searching

"Hello, Abby," I whispered when I stood before her

If my use of her name surprised her, it didn’t show

"Nathaniel"

Okay This was good I said soress made

"You look well," I said She lookedor too desperate Although I was certain she could see right through me

"Thank you"

There was a s over the facility’s layout I needed to get her somewhere private so we could talk

I moved closer "I wanted to tell--"

"There you are"

I looked over

Melanie?

"Melanie, this is not a good tiet back to Abby

"Youout a hand for Abby to shake "It’s nice to finallyto do? Carry on a conversation?

Like, right now?

"Melanie, I--" I started

"Nathaniel!" someone said I looked over my shoulder It was the man who had asked me to present at the convention in Florida "Just thefor Come with me I need to introduce you to some people"

What? No? I wanted to stay and talk to Abby

But Melanie stood there, a little s to Abby in front of Melanie

The party would last a few hours--I had plenty of time

I’d find her later

Except I didn’t

I always found a reason not to talk to her--she ith Felicia; she was talking with Elaina; Linda was introducing her to soe I’d built up over the last feeeks left me I’d had one shot and Melanie had ruined it

I kept telling myself the party wasn’t over yet I still had tiether, find her, and ask her to talk Simple Very, very siht o’clock I bet the party wouldn’t even end until roup of Linda’s colleagues, listening as they ra or other, but watching Abby--she was hugging Elaina

"What do you think, Nathaniel?" one of the Elaina?

"Nathaniel?"

Was she leaving? Why was she walking toward the door?

Oh, God She was leaving

She was leaving and I wouldn’t see her until June

NO!

"Abby," I called, but of course, she didn’t hear me "Abby," I said louder, but all the damn people were too loud

I turned and my eyes fell on the deejay booth beside me I pushed the man out of the way and hit the off button on theas I jerked the microphone from his hands

My eyes never left her back

"Don’t leave me, Abby"

She spun around

"I let you leave once and it aled "Please don’t leave me"

Chapter Thirty-four

She just stood there

Stood there and looked at est seconds of my life

Would she leave? Would she shout at me? Would she stay? Finally, she walked to

Of course, she didn’t look entirely pleased to be staying Especially when she ripped the microphone out of my hands