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"Really I’ot hurt, but if there’s soed

"Yes, wise one" I bowed lad you kept the suite," he said as we boarded the bus

I couldn’t believe there had been a tiht I’lad"

"Firecracker?" Paxton asked as I approached where he sat He pointed to the eo shotnow?" I asked

"No"

I leaned out of uy, but I wasn’t a entle on my wrist as he pulled

"I just want to be near you, if that’s okay"

I sat down How the hell could I turn that down? "Okay," I said, and settled in for a silent trip to the market I looked past Paxton to where the Blue Mosque waited in quiet repose The inside had stolenworth standing, worth ?" he asked as the bus rolled into Istanbul traffic

"How beautiful things last when they’re built well and loved"

He nodded but didn’t say anything

The drive over had ressive drivers, but even that trip to New York City couldn’t hold a candle to this insanity

The entire ride, I wanted to touch hiure out as going on, or I’d let hiure it out on his own if he needed to His eyes tracked everything as we drove by, his foot tapping I’d seen that look before as he was planning a trick I knew that he was thinking, but I didn’t quite expect it to hurt so much to be shut out

But what the hell did I expect? We’d been together all of what, teeks? Were we together? He said so, but I never did What orse than craving Paxton froray area with him

Maybe it was better to have a clean break now before I duglosses and all

The bus stopped on the side of the street, and Dr Williaether, and safety, and how easy it was to get lost I tried to pay attention, but allby the minute

Better to feel that now than to wait around for him to pulverize me And besides, you couldn’t miss what you never had

Except those tiny slivers of tihter than the rest of, well…everything

We filed out of the bus andunder a stone arch that read Grand Bazaar

As we entered the covered lasses to the top of , a kaleidoscope of colors, sounds, and the scent of fruit and spices The stone arches stretched above us for what seemed to be htly overwhel