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"Quinton," I groan, as ainst him and his hardness, and it makesso I high, I swear to God I’ and heoutside, one I’ve never heard before, but know I’ll never forget because I’ll never forget this ets branded into your et rid of it, even when you want to

After we kiss for an eternity and our bodies are quivering with adrenaline and we’re sweating with passion and overwhel need and exhaustion, we break apart I put my shirt back on and then we lay on our backs, neither one of us talking as we stare up at the tent ceiling gently flapping with the breeze I should feel guilty, but for sohts, I wonder how I’ll feel in thewith And now I’ makes sense any with nuet the to breathe as noiselessly as possible

"So what do you think about the band playing?" Quinton asks

"They’re okay," I reply, the nu from my head as I listen to the vas, and ain "But I like the softer version of it"

"I’ve never heard of the his head toward me

"Wow, I can’t believe you just admitted that to me," I say "You know I can’t be friends with you now"

"Is that e still are?" he wonders "Friends?"

"I’it on top of my chest I count the beats of my heart each time it hits my palm I think about Landon’s and my friendship and how much we knew about each other, yet there was still so much stuff we didn’t "It feels like we barely know each other… but I want to get to know you" The overenthusiastic beat of my heart floods my mind as he stays silent

"How about we play your little gaain?"

"When did we play that?"

"In h"

I thrua"

He reaches over and threads his fingers through mine so our hands are entwined on top of ht" He caresses the top of my hand "Besides, it really wasn’t the questions, was it?"

No, it was your eyes and that dao first, though"

"What’s your favorite vacation place?" he asks withouta beat like he had it planned out the whole tiht subject at all, but I answer anyway, because e around it "It was actually a road trip Back when o on one each suht before he died He took hter escapes my throat "I ate way tooon the tilt-a-whirl"

He sketches a heart on the back of my hand "Nova… how did he… how did he die?"

I yawn, zoning in and out of reality "He had this heart condition He didn’t know he had it We were actually out riding bikes up on these mountain trails and then suddenly he tipped over and he didn’t get up At first I thought he hurt hi to die and he was scared I ran back for help and everything, but it was too late By the ti to choke up, because I’ve only talked about what happened with Landon, my mom, and therapists I suck in a loud breath as the bitter burn of beer stings at the back of ht ga about death"

He slides his hand away froers to h the dark "I asked you the question after I told you we could ht I’m sorry I should have kept my mouth shut"

"It’s fine," I assure hiest lie

"My mom died," he discloses in a subdued voice "When I was born"

"I’m so sorry" I scan his face, but it’s too dark to tell what he’s thinking, but I wish I could tell what’s going on inside of him Does it match what I look like--what I feel?