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"I thought she was the girl you loved" I rushed irl you loved who broke your heart"

"Angelique?" He laughed "No, no, no She was Noah’s girlfriend for two years She even helpedShe ducontract in Italy"

"Oh "

"She still loved hiive up her career so she told him to move on He couldn’t take it The pain was too ether when they were still in love"

"That rets it every day of her life" Zane sighed "But it’s not her fault It’s Braydon’s Noah never did hard drugs He only used to sot hiht that he died"

"He was?" I was shocked, but it seeet arrested?"

"The police had nothing on his I knew, of course, I found out a feeeks before Noah died that he was on soht, and he went and o ask hiot in the way and then it was too late"

"Oh Zane, I’m so sorry" Tears streamed down my face, and I wiped them away quickly "My heart aches for you"

"I don’t want to s to myself with you, Lucky" He took a deep breath "Shit, this is hard I really like you Like, really like you And I don’t want to let that go I think we could have so from nowhere and I know I can be crazy and ive ain I want to see if I can be the guy you have been waiting for Will you let us start again?"

"Oh Zane" I stared at his face and I wondered how I had never noticed the fear in his eyes before I’d always thought he was so strong and hard, but he was a hu, just like me, he had fears and worries just like hter "Please"

"When I lost ht my world had caved in on me And then a feeeks later, my boyfriend dumped me And then I knew that was it I knew the world was about to end I couldn’t breathe I couldn’t sleep I never wanted to feel again My life became perfunctory I protected my heart And I was happy with that I wanted to uy I dated I knew that my heart couldn’t take one more heartbreak, and I didn’t want to sleep around But then you started co into the diner, and all I could think about hat it would be like to date you, to irl with you on that date"

"About the dates, Lucky" Zane interjected

"Wait Let me finish" I smiled tenderly "When I saw you at the party and we talked, all I wanted was to get to know you better I wanted to talk to you all night long And then I saw you with Angelique I was jealous and I wanted to scream And I think that hen I kind of knew I liked you as uy who came into the diner a lot"

"You did?" He smiled hopefully

"And thenin like I was some damsel in distress, and you irritated the shit out of me Yet, I kind of liked that you were there to take care of me"

"I alant to take care of you, Lucky"

"I don’t need anyone to take care of , Zane That’s what I want you to understand I broke h I knew it could all end witha broken heart But I was okay with that because I know I’h to handle it I would rather have a month, or a week, or even a day with you than no ti about you that makes my heart soar I’m addicted to you Your smell drives me crazy Your kisses els I don’t need a promise of tomorrohen I’m with you, because today is all that ive you a pro you deserve You’re stronger than me You’re more open thanI can’t give you"

"I don’t want you to proive, Zane" There were tears in ive us a fair chance"

"Lucky, I haven’t dated in years I think that shows you I’ us a fair chance"

"You haven’t dated in years?" I laughed and looked at hiirls I took to the diner, well you were right They were all Braydon’s exes I went out with all of theet information out of the dealer so that I could have enough proof to get him prosecuted"

"Oh"

"They weren’t real dates, Lucky They irl I could look at every tiirl that broke your heart?" I asked hiirl that broke my heart?" He frowned

"The one you told hing "That was Lily Chen, she wasto be my ninja warrior princess, but all she really cared about were Barbies and Legos She du She broke my heart for a week, and after that, I realized that love wasn’t worth it"

"Oh Zane" I laughed and shook my head

"I’m fked up Lucky I’ot over ht hiet over theirNo adult either You’re not fked up, my dear You’re hurt, you’re broken, and you’re rejected But she didn’t leave you, Zane I swear to God, that she didn’t leave you because you were unlovable She didn’t leave you because she didn’t want you I know there had to have been other reasons There is no way that she left because of you"

"I don’t understand why she didn’t love h to stay I don’t understand why she didn’t deal with h to try and work out soet over that I don’t knohy I was so unlovable It was just me and Noah" Zane sobbed in ether for hiainst the world and we could do anything But then he went and got his heart broken and he couldn’t cope He couldn’t cope and there was nothing I could do to fix hiht and I lost hiainst the world, and he defected He ain"

"I’m so sorry, Zane" I kissed his forehead and kept him close to me "But it’s not your fault You couldn’t have known"