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"When we met here?"

"Yes When we met Downstairs Sophomore year And you saved my life"

"I never saved your life, Noel"

"Why do you always ruin this story?"

"You re e ," he said "All the tis could think to say noas, "What?"

Noel groaned

"I don’t like to dance," she said

"You don’t like to dance in front of people," he said

"That’s true"

"Just a o anywhere," he shouted up to her

"I never go anywhere!" she shouted back

She heard the song start over

Then Noel was running back up the stairs He stood on the step below her and held up his hands "Please"

Mags sighed and lifted up her hands She wasn’t sure what to do with them …

Noel took one of her hands in his and put her other hand on his shoulder, curling his arm around her waist "Jesus Christ," he said, "was that so hard?"

"I don’t knohy this is so i"

"I don’t knohy it’s so important to you," he said "Not to dance with me"

She was a little bit taller than hi

Alicia’s s Hey, Noel--how’s Notre Das closer to let Mrs Porter squeeze by "Good," he said

"You guys really fell asleep against Michigan"

"I’m not actually on the football team," Noel said

"That’s no excuse," Mrs Porter said

Noel didn’t loosen his grip after Alicia’s s’s waist now, and their stoether

They’d touched a lot, over the years, as friends Noel liked to touch Noel hugged And tickled and pulled hair Noel pulled people into his lap He apparently kissed anyone who raised their eyebrows at his like this

Mags had never felt his belt buckle in her hip She’d never tasted his breath

Mrs Porter cahter

"A Thousand Years" began again

"Did you tell sos asked

"I put it on repeat," he said "They’ll stop it when they notice"

"Was this on the Twilight sound track?"

"Dance with s"

"I as had been holding herself rigid, so that she’d still be standing upright, even if Noel let go She stopped that now She relaxed into his grip and let her arain because she wanted to--because it was still

"You don’t like it," he said