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"What’s this?" O’Connell asked, hearing the tail end of our conversation as we reached the table He pulled me onto his lap by the belt loops of my jeans and listened intently as Nikki recanted the whole conversation

"Who the fuck does she think she is?" O’Connell roared and tried tomy arms around his neck, I kissed him hard and forced him back down

"Are you with me because you feel trapped?" I asked

"No, baby, you know I’et bored of ain with a kiss

"And are you going to be sleeping around with anyone else when I’m not there?"

"Fuck, no You know it’s rily

"Then what difference does it make what she says about us I’m yours and your mine"

"And fuck everyone else, right?" he finished with a s love you," heme

"Shit I’ht day You kiss the fight right out of hi on really well, and I liked seeing the guys bonding

O’Connell was getting i beneath o," I told him with a kiss He practically juet oodbye to everyone, and a pro, we left

"I a cold," O’Connellcold apartet war his eyebrows I laughed at his playfulness, pleased that he hadn’t let Katrina sour our good mood

"Are you sure you don’t want the shower first?" I asked

"Nah, I’rabbed one of his t-shirts off the chair, some clean underwear from the drawer, and headed to the bathroo heat of the pounding water felt al it, knowing that there was no way it would be dry before I fell asleep The t-shirt caht scent that was purely O’Connell I ed toforward to a future that orlds away froift that I would happily spend the rest of ht, I opened the door to a runway of candles Nightlights lined the hallway on either side, leading to the main room, which was all lit up On every available surface were pillar church candles of different sizes, burning their pure white wax Every space betas filled with tea lights They made my crappy apartment beautiful and romantic In the middle of the room, O’Connell stood in only a pair of half-unbuttoned jeans and holding the biggest bouquet of sunflowers that I’d ever seen Where he got sunflowers at Christhter, and in his place was a scared little boy, opening his heart to ," I whispered and covered my mouth with my hands in shock I walked toward hier than ym to drop off the flowers and candles while ere out"