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"You know, if you keep calling reen eyes twinkled in the diiggle that escaped "I think I got snot on your shirt"

"It’ll just mix in with the blood from oes nicely with the mothball smell"

"I didn’t have many options" He lifted his arh"

"What do we do now?" Some of the tension had seeped from my shoulders and I realized I was exhausted

"Mavis has contacts looking for a Maria She’s the one that wanted you, so that’s our next step"

"You could go, Owen Your brother won’t keep looking for you" I brushed so so to get rid of me"

"I’ Your part in this is finished There’s no reason to get dragged any further into this et hurt because of ain I can’t--you can’t jump in front of all the bullets pointed in ether" He leaned forward "You think you’re useless, but you aren’t For the first ti time I don’t feel toxic You do that You make me feel human And for that, you’re worth "

My heart stopped If I lived long enough to look back on this moment one day, I would swear that time stopped His barriers were down, his eyes earnest I couldn’t iine how difficult itlike that

"Owen…" I wanted to say so ina heart attack, but I was sort of happy about it

"Don’t say anything" He shook his head "I just wanted you to know that you are not useless You are not worthless Not to ain, I was left speechless and close to tears

He stood up and I realized the rooone?

"It’s late" Well, that was lah-five Ava Way to follow up his beautiful words with an obvious coet some sleep Mavis is downstairs and I’ll take the rooet past us" He h my body

"No" I stood up "Stay"

He turned to look at me and I wondered if he could see my blush in the dark

"I’ll sleep better if you’re in here withto stay even "Like at the hotel That was the best sleep I’ve gotten since I arrived in England" At the time I’d been nervous, but I’d also felt safe And when I woke up that ht Normal

Maybe normal wasn’t such a bad word

I kicked off my shoes and undid the button on my jeans Carefully I slipped the at him I pulled the blanket back on the bed and cli the s, and counted my breaths

"Please"