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"She was in love with so me" It took a few seconds for his words to resonate in my brain, and I froze as I realized what he had just said

"What do you mean?" I frowned and walked closer to him, so I could look into his face as he spoke

"She was dating sohed "But I loved her, and I knew she had to be mine"

"What do you ?"

"It doesn’t matter" He frowned as he took me in "Get me a beer"

"There is no ed and his face grew red "I need a fking beer, you fking idiot"

"You need to go to rehab, Dad"

"I don’t need to go to fking rehab I need a fking beer"

"Dad" I took a deep breath "Who was Mohed "She was fking dating Jaot her in the end" He suy doesn’t alin out in the end"

"I thought you dated Mom, and that theJames first?"

"It doesn’t matter" His eyes looked away from mine "I need another beer"

"Dad, we need to talk about this"

I watched as he picked up the re the channels He lay back down on the ratty couch, and I watched as he kicked some potato chip packets onto the floor I surveyed the rooes in here as well I could no longer sit by idly, and let my dadin thisto clean this rooet me some beer"

"Dad, we need to talk about--"

"Get rabbed another beer can froht, Dad," I sighed and walked out of the rooht now As I walked up the stairs, I thought about what Maddie had told me and about what oing on? The story was changing rapidly, and noas beginning to question everything

"We’re really getting it" Jared grinned atthe afternoon practicing how to break in to different types of garages Joey’s friend was souy from Russia or soest criminals in the world He had stolen a Picasso from some museum and had been trained by some of the best thieves in the world We were definitely learning a lot, but I still wasn’t quite happy with everything that was going on We didn’t know the name of the buyer, we didn’t knoho Joey’s contact was, and the teacher told us to call him Tolstoy, which I was almost certain wasn’t his real name There were soto worry about everything It all seeatti and ould be the ones approached to get trained and to steal it And the oould be out of town and ould get one million dollars But Jared vouched for Joey a hundred percent and I was trying to give hi as he really see with the whole Maddie situation

Maddie hadn’t contacted me and it had been about a week since I had seen her, and I was growing antsy The house was spic and span and had been for a few days, but it seeht as she hadn’t calledher with the invite once she called iven up onI had assu to h, and I realized that she ht But now it had al I had been unable to sleep well, and Maddie was constantly on oes according to plan, we’ll be fine," I snapped, and I saw Jared and Vincent exchange a glance I ignored them and ran up the stairs and to my room I pulled out my phone for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, and saw no missed calls or texts I called my voicemail to make sure I hadn’t missed a call or a voicemail notification I threw the phone on the bed when I heard I had no new es

"What the fuck, Maddie," I muttered under my breath as I fell to the bed "Where are you?"

I looked up the ceiling and felt my heart sink into the mattress as I wondered if she had finally decided that I wasn’t worth it She was gorgeous; she didn’t need to put up with uy, someone who had a real future, asn’t a criood time, someone her parents would be happy for her to date, soht away Maybe she was done with ht about her sweetly kissing someone else I felt murderous inside She was my Maddie I couldn’t bear to think about her with anyone else Not now

I hadn’t admitted it to anyone, not to her and not tomy world When I ith her, I felt like aI felt like she saw the person inside hed at ether, I felt like I could be anyone, do anything, and I wanted to change I wanted to be a better man for her I wanted to climb mountains I wanted to build ships I wanted to show her that thefor was a man that orthy of her love and affection Because I had believed her I had allowed a sirlish dreams and jokes A part of me had pictured Maddie as my wife and as the one I spent the rest of my life with I would never have admitted it to her, but when she had toldto hed off her cohted inside I had begun to hope that perhaps there was a possibility ofto be tied down toI had never allowed myself to believe was possible I had believed her when she had said she illing to wait and be patient for rabbedlike a foolish schoolboy The screen displayed the ti, it never did

"Fuck it" I pressed the nu them up on the co

"Hello," a lady answered the phone and my mouth dried as I realized that it must have been her mother

"Hi, is Maddie available, please?" I spoke slowly, hoping she wouldn’t ask as on the phone

"Sure, one moment please" I heard her put the phone down "Maddison, there’s a call for you"

"Who is it?" I heard Maddie’s voice in the background and uy, maybe Joey?" herher?

"Hello" Her voice wasn’t its usual vibrant self, and I was i had happened

"Maddie, it’s Logan"

"Logan?" Her voice changed slightly, and I grinned as I realized she was happy to hear froed back to one of nonchalance, but I didn’t let it bother me I had heard the initial happiness in her voice

"I’ve been better"

"What’s wrong?" Her tone i, okay?"

"You didn’t call ht you would callyou"

"You weren’t chasinganywhere"

"I didn’t want to keep co after you if you weren’t interested"

"What are you talking about?" My jaw dropped "Why would you think I wasn’t interested?"

"Are you joking, Logan Martelli?" Her voice sounded shocked "You have never co after you"

"I told you that I liked you That ere dating"