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"Awesoood one!" He cradled his hands behind his head

"Thanks Couldn’t have done it without you"

"You would have co, as if he’d never doubted it "So, did you get an A in the class then?"

"I don’t find out until Monday I turned in one last paper this week I haven’t even published it to the paper yet If I do well on it, then I ht put it out there," she told him

What she hadn’t told hiniven to her by Brady Maxwell While she hadn’t used it originally, she still thought it was a good suggestion, and had written and rewritten it too many times to count since she had published the article off of Hayden’s idea After spending that much time on it, she had decided to turn it in for her final paper to Professor Mires She was proud of the work and thought it was the right move

"Nice You’ll have to let ood this summer? I knoas pretty dead, since no one is on ca your own column anyway?" he asked

It felt like forever since she had talked about her ith anyone in person It was a bit like opening the floodgates She told him all about the paper: the people ere still there, the projects she had worked on, the story of what had happened with Justin Hayden seeitimately interested in every detail It didn’t seem to be just because he missed the paper, which was obvious, but that he was interested in herthat had happened to her that su her head into the doorway "Meredith just got hona is aluys want to venture out to the living room"

Liz looked down at her watch in surprise Had they really been talking for one? It had been so long since Liz had seen Hayden She was surprised how easy it was to talk to him

Twentyroom table Jalasses with red wine The lasagna was to die for, and by the end of the meal, Liz felt a bit sloshy from the wine, but she also felt wonderfully coroup

Jamie and James were pretty much the cutest couple in existence, and bothto her Meredith, Jaa and Pilates instructor nearby and had a total mellow feel to her Hayden seemed totally in his ele at one another’s co it or the general good co time

They spent the next couple hours ca from American politics to French painters to the newest fad diet The night flew by and soon Jao to bed The two of them and Meredith finally retreated to their respective rooet to bed if we’re going to get up and walk around the city in theHe reached his hand out to her and she took it, helping her to her feet She was happy to find out that she wasn’t that wobbly

"So is different about you," he said softly as they stood together

Liz shrugged and smiled sweetly "Saer on it, but it’s different"

"Good different or bad different?" Liz asked

"Just different You were always pretty great"

"Well…thanks," she said, stepping around him "I don’t knohat it is"

"Me either," Hayden said, his eyes following her

"I’ll see you in the aze

"Good night, Liz"

Liz walked back to Hayden’s bedrooainst it and let out a long breath

She knehat had happened to her Brady fucking Maxwell had happened to her

Chapter 25

CRACKED OPEN

Hayden and Liz spent the next day walking around DC She had never been there before and wanted to go to every et into They walked around the Capitol building and et a tour of the White House They had alternated pretending to hold hands with George Washington in his portrait in the East Wing and had corralled a total stranger into taking a really great shot of the

Their afternoon was spent inside the National Mall looking at dinosaur bones and walking through endless exhibits at the Sht was filled with dinner and drinks at a laid-back tapas restaurant with Jamie and James Hayden’s friends had to stay late at the office and didn’t knohen they would be off, but had proht with Liz After spending all day walking in the summer heat, she was pretty tired She would have to o out tomorrow As it was she was ready to pass out fro, and then they went out to look at so all day atin when they got to the Lincoln Memorial and found it packed with people Apparently faular afternoon stop People were sitting by the Reflecting Pool eating lunch and covering the steps to the Meroups to even make it all the way up the stairs