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He nods and I point to et in, silent, worried The entire drive to et there, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife

"You didn’t have to do that fortoonto you, and he wouldn’t accept your refusal"

"It happens a lot," I offer "I’ toanother s the car door open and clih and follow hi toward us the "

"Nice place," Nate says, staring aroundto stay with Max or Kelly for a while, but I ended up finding this place and with the extra work figured I could afford it It’s only tiny, but it’s mine and that’s all that matters

"It’s okay It’s all I could afford"

"I like it," he says "It’s cozy"

I laugh weakly "You could say that"

The room suddenly feels thick with tension as an aard silence fills the s to get the first-aid kit You sit down"

I rush off down the hall and into the washing roo , deep breath You can do this, just fix him up and call hi allout my first-aid kit, then I rush back down the hall

Nate is sitting on the couch, staring at his phone When he hears aze fixes onshared between us I want to erous I open the kit, trying to focus on getting him fixed and out of here It’s all thatup and rushing intoit back and hand it to hi his eyes offswab and I tear the packet open before pulling out the da at the small split on his lip and the dried blood on his chin

"I don’t bite," he says in a low, husky voice

I place the cloth against his chin gently and murmur, "Why don’t I believe that?"

His eyes crinkle but he doesn’t sently wipe the dried blood from his chin and mouth, and then I toss the cloth onto the coffee table before tearing open another packet I gently press the swab against his lip and a fresh drop of blood rises to the surface I stare at it, suddenly feeling like we’re too close I can’t breathe and I struggle to gather ently reach up and swipe the drop aith ic and responsibility I can only see hiers He takes a deep, ragged breath and his hand reaches over and gently glides behindit so hard to stay away," he breathes "So fuckin’ hard"

"I’ood person"

"I’ good person anyasp as he slides his nose down and over ht"

"We’re hurting her We have to stop"

"Is that what you really want?"

"What I want is destroying ht when you’re this close"

"Then tellatme in a place we both know I shouldn’t be"

"Then tella deep, shaky breath I should tell hi that this is wrong but I’ht it, I do want to fight it--I can’t figure out which one is the biggest All I know is Nate is changing everything I a that it was anyone else But it’s not--it’s hi to be hirowls and closes the distance between us, pressing his lips softly againstit because his lip must be so tender Instead he moves his mouth over my cheek and then down tolittle sections of it into his mouth while his hands slide upkisses to my chest and then over the tender flesh ofout of my top I tre fro biceps He tucks his hands underneathme into the bedroom