Page 44 (1/2)

Staring up at her atched as she opened it and climbed out Today she hadn’t askedI can do?" She was just there Silently givingdown the ladder, I put my hands on either side to steady it and stood beneath her in case she fell

I didn’t need to talk I just wanted her to go with ie would do that It was one of the reasons she was so dao," I whispered when she was at the bottoie didn’t slide over beside ot in I wanted her to, but I didn’t push it She did it before because she’d wanted to Our friendship line was getting blurred, and I knew it I just wasn’t sure how to stop it And tonight I didn’t want to stop it

We drove without ine and lights and just sat there The lights from the town reht about the fact that he would never coh at raduate He wouldn’t be there when I got htened, and I punched the steering wheel several tione Forever I’d never see ie was besideto say If her father were put on death row, she’d go through another version of this At least noas in prison She kneas breathing He was there, even if she didn’t want to see hiain

"Do you have days when all you think about are the things she’ll never see in your life?" I asked her

"Yeah All the ti this hell too I chanted that over and over to h to let go of the intense grip I had on the steering wheel

In that moment I made a decision I didn’t care about the line I didn’t care about protecting our friendship I just needed Maggie I needed to feel her and forget all of this I kneas being selfish, but I had to do it anyway

Turning, I slid a hand into her hair and covered her ave her a moment to decide If she didn’t want this, she’d push me away

But she didn’t I’d known deep down, she wouldn’t I knew she felt this between us too

With each brush of her hand on rew desperate I wanted more of her So when she leaned closer to me, I placed er side My thurazed her bare skin as her ar lifted an inch

Maggie shivered inmy heart to pump even faster She liked this asI was feeling

"Lift your ar