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"You sorry fucker," Paul says "If I didn’t love your sorry ass so much, I’d have to hate you"

Matt looks down at his watch "Tih I can’t help it The look on Paul’s face is priceless

Paul swipes a hand down his face again "Just be careful," he says "Be careful" He shakes his head like he has more to say but now he’s talked out

I lean over and bump fists with him "Thank you," I say "I love you"

"Yeah, yeah," Paul says, swiping his hand through the air as though he wants to erase our conversation He looks defeated, and I don’t want him to feel that way Matt closes the door to his room, and I sit down across from Paul

"I’ve never felt like this before," I say

"I know," he admits "That’s orries me"

"She’s the one for me"

"I know" He’s quiet, contemplative

"I’m afraid," I blurt out

"Of her?"

"Fuck no Not of her" I point towardearrings cost more than our yearly rent"

"All the ood job that will support her" He sighs heavily "I’ to the choir" He throws his hands up

"We’ve had so much between us since we met," I say I don’t want to talk about it with hiet it" He grabs ot her back"

"She’ll probably o back in there Do you think she’s pissed?" I look anxiously toward the door

Paul just laughs

"Her father doesn’t like me"

"He doesn’t know you yet"

"He knows I’m deaf and that I’le tattooto s "And neither of those things hter" He quirks an eyebrow at nant, on the other hand…" He lets his thoughts trail off

"He brought her ex-boyfriend to New York to live with her That’s why she’s here at our apart "Sorry," he says, when he re "That’s shit"

"She refused to stay there"

"Good girl," he says with a s to be a problem"

"Win him over, dumbass," he says "You’re smart You want to succeed You’re talented as hell And you love his daughter He’ll get over the tats and you not being able to hear" Hethat my family doesn’t see it as a handicap Neither do I

I push toto bed" Paul arches his brow at rouse But I rub his head as I walk by, and he shoves et me away from him "Love you, dumbass," I say

"Love you better," he replies It rin on my lips when I open my bedroom door a crack and stick my head in I am prepared to retreat if a shoe or a la I see is Euitar across her lap Her fingers absently struuitar I have no idea what they’re called or what she’s doing, but she is obviously absorbed in her task

She looks up when I step up to the edge of the bed, and a suitar," she says

She left her guitar with o "It e of the bed and take her in Her hair is shoved back behind her ears, and her legs are splayed open I can see the strip of her pink panties between her legs, and I lick my lips I lean forward and pull her towardthe back of her neck I kiss her quickly "Sorry about Paul," I say

She shrugs "He cares about you I think it’s kind of sweet" Her face puckers "Intrusive," she says "But still sweet"

"I’ll tell him tory at him" There was a time before she left when she walked up behind hiet it over with And now this mistake

I take offher, and prop my head on my upturned hand, ?" I ask

"Nothing yet," she says with a smile "I can take requests"

I shake my head This is one area where I can’t bond with her "I don’t know anything at all about music," I say "Sorry" I know it’s important to her Kind of like a mainstay in her life

"You can’t hear this at all?" she asks Her fingers struain "That?"

I shake my head I wish I could hear it, but I can’t