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Wow, Natasha had soall He slowly craned his neck back to face me

"I don’t respond well to threats, and I especially don’t allow someone I despise to tell me what to do," he continued, jaw clenched "The h the wall, Natasha was out of bed and already threatening to yell for Oliver, so I left Called Julia to coht there and came down here for a drink"

Holy hell, the wo in?"

I thought about Natasha living in the sa Oliver But for what? What was she up to?

"Let’s not talk about her again Not tonight," he said

I was staring down at his hand in thought when he interrupted my troubled e"

"You wish!" I laughed and slapped his forear the direction thein I proppeder his friend, and even though I felt for his situation and for Oliver, it wasn’t any ofexcept perhaps one ht a good nurse was eager to please her patient," he teased

I scoffed and glanced down at the bar before looking back up seconds later

"Seriously, do you want a ride hoa snicker So in his inally as he repeated the word again to hia with aainst my chest; the pain was unbearable Finally, he could ade

He looked straight ahead again, staring blankly at the rows of bottles perched on the wall ahead of us His voice cah murmur

"But then I lost Not the first ti, but you…" He looked back atmine "You took et back--I don’t want back I only want you, and you…you can hardly even look at me anymore"

What could I say to that? I couldn’t find the words, and it took all ain "I’h alcohol in the world to get et what I had with you What we alry frown I watched as he spoke, heat rising through me as he laid his deepest fears on the table

"I alet in my head, and it was you who suffered for it I’m such a piece of shit--an unworthy bastard--and yet I still tried to win you back, wanting to convince you that I could be better, be what you need But I can’t I’el, and you deserve so lass that sat untouched in front of hi his eyes as the liquid worked its way into his systeuy I never would have gotten close to you to begin with if you weren’t I wish things had been different between us, I’ to lie--you knohat you meant to me, you had to have seen how et what happened The way you hed, twisting my palm over my chin to rub rown bored with raduated We never would have lasted"

His jaw clenched "You really believe that?"