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I hadn’t seen her face in weeks, hted with alcohol when she called, and it didn’t sound right I noticed the s dressed, and I grabbed it quickly, stuffing it in the drawer of ood for Nolan, but I also wanted to look co to find the one that sent the perfect e I was trying to send I was acting a lot like a girl "This is ridiculous," I thought, finally settling on the long-sleeved black ther down the stairs when I heard the fa to Pops Her words were clear, on the verge of happy It was so opposite from the last time I’d heard her I stopped a few steps from the corner just to listen
"Nolan, my dear, you look lovely," Rosie said I could see her reaching to hug Nolan, but still couldn’t see her face "OH! Honey, you didn’t need to bring anything"
"I know…I…uhm I just wanted to I ood," she sounded so damned unsure of herself all of a sudden "It’s a peach cobbler I hope it’s okay I’ve never made one before"
"I’m sure it’s delicious," Rosie said "Here, let’s put it in the fridge"
"No, it’s okay I knohere it is, I’ll take it," Nolan said, and then passed through the group gathered by the front door to head to my kitchen I was frozen to the steps as I watched her walk away fro her Her brown hair had gotten longer She’d curled it into waves, and wore a red sweater with tight black pants, and knee-high boots She looked like a girl from some romantic movie--some main character that the boy sees once, and then spends the entire rest of the , just so he could learn her naht
When I realized she was heading to the kitchen alone, I squeezedhts I had been so angry at her But seeing her again? Well, that had ry I took a deep breath, and followed her into the kitchen She was balancing the dessert in one palerator door with her other hand, not quite able to get it open
"Need a hand?" I said, startling her She jue of the tray hit the corner of the refrigerator, knocking it sideways, and sending it in a slow-motion flip to the floor She just stared at the pile of peaches and crust that spread the floor beneath her, her hand over her mouth like she’d witnessed so, she started to cry, her hand hiding her face as she bent down to feel for pieces of her broken cobbler to clean it up
My instincts kicked in, and I started to help "Noles, daot it, it’s okay It’s fine We have plenty of food," I said, trying to clean it up before she had to look at it any longer She just looked up into my eyes then, hers so sad and puffy She started to cry harder then, and I couldn’t take it I slid, kneeling, closer to her and just reached for her, pulling her into a hug in ot you It’s okay…shhhhhhh" I just held her while her body quivered in my arms I stroked her hair, and each time I tucked the strands behind her ear, she shook a little irl was broken She’d ripped my heart from my chest when she kissed another ht with her But seeing her cry like this…I couldn’t handle it
I was content to stay there the rest of the night I wasn’t hungry, and I was fine sitting in a pile of peaches, and flour and sugar Butas Jason rounded the corner just in ti just a little more "Whoa, what the hell?" he said as he saw spilt dessert on the floor "Ooooooh, sorry…did I interrupt?" He was such an ass
Nolan broke fro her nose on her sleeve, and going back to work cleaning up the floor "Sorry, I dropped the cobbler I’ll get it, Reed You go," she said, willingfor her just a little When she pulled away, it broke ht as she took in a deep breath
"I’ back to work