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“Don’t be silly Of course I can”

He was drowning “You don’t have any clothes with you”

She gave hi to sleep in”

Zoe sleeping in his clothes? The iown caused an uncoroin Ahim made his jeans feel like a pair of Speedos two sizes too small “The snoill let up”

“I hope so” She tasted the cheese sauce by dipping her finger in a spoon of sauce and licking it off Slowly

He itched to copy the action, her finger in his mouth

“I don’t want to miss the last day of school tomorrow” She took another tortuous lick of the sauce, this time off the spoon

He needed better ventilation in the kitchen He could not get enough air

She turned toward him and offered the spoon “Want to try it? I think it’s done”

“N-no” His voice hadn’t cracked like that since middle school He cleared his throat “I trust you”

She shrugged “You’re ood” Then she proceeded to lick every last drop of melted cheese from the spoon

The pasta boiled over and he ju his earlier inability to look away fro lips on the spoon The noodles looked cooked He tested one and burnt his tongue “Ouch”

She handed hiriue

“You do this every time” She combined the noodles and sauce “All you have to do is be a little more patient”

He did not interrupt her tirade He was not about to explain that the iue on the spoon had all but robbed hiain He tossed asparagus spears into a pan with butter and sautéed them

They chatted about Zoe’s class at school over dinner The kids were involved in the Christs Coo withthat any tiht noould just lead to further tortured urges, but he’d hurt her feelings enough for one day “Sure”