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"You don’t have to be sorry," he replies with his fingertips still pressed to my jawline "I just wanted to answer your question from earlier, when you asked if I’d ever lost anyone close toin my chest as I wonder if s to her "What was her name?"

"Anna," he breathes so softly I can barely hear it His fingers push harder against h to know that it’s not either of the names on his arm

I let a breath ease from my lips "Did your dad raise you, then?"

"Yes," he answers in a tight tone, pulling his hand away from my face "But honestly, I prettyco, so I say the first rando that pops into my head "If you could have one wish, ould it be?"

He pauses and when he speaks again, his voice sounds lighter "Is that one of your twenty questions?"

"It is" I turn to le frohteen"

He capturesh I’m drunk, I can feel the intimacy in the touch "I can’t tell you the one wish I wouldI want to do right at this er down to my lips and brushes his thumb back and forth across the bottom one "I’d… I’d like to hold you"

I don’t know hi me a line, but the conflict in his voice, like he’s afraid to say it, makes me believe that he’s not I inch ned froers away fro a path down er underneath the botto heat between hs, and my body uncontrollably curls into hiers intoit over his hip Every single aspect of our bodies link perfectly together, and it feels a here together There’s no ghost ure out why Landon did it and who I a but silence

"If you could have one superpoould it be?" I pick up right where we left off, because I want to continue with this seamless moment of simplicity

He set What about you?"

"The power to understand," I say, nuzzling ainst his chest as I yawn "Or the power to save"

He keeps s my hair down as he rests his chin on my head I expect him to question me about my answer, but he doesn’t, and I don’t question hi you’re afraid of?" he asks

"Unknown places," I say without a second thought

"I’m unknown," he points out "Does that mean I freak you out?"

I shake my head "I already told you that you remind me of someone I used to know"

"So that uess… God, you probably think I’ person I’ve ers envelop around the back of my head, he slides his chin off the top of leat each other at the precise moment ht now?" he asks, his lips htly tickling my skin "Would that be familiar?"

"I don’t know," I reply "It wasn’t at first, but now…"

He lightly grazes his lips across entle and barely existent "Nohat?"

My thoughts arebut Quinton I grip the front of his shirt and crash ainst his It’s the fourth tiets easier I’ of when I kiss him All I know is that at the moment my head is clear and at peace And maybe that’s my answer Or maybe that’s what I tell myself to make it easier to kiss him

Chapter 15

July 29, Day 71 of Summer Break

Quinton