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I liftedto climb over and sat next to him My back was turned to everyone else too "Even Kris?"

"Even Kris" His head lowered and he closed his eyes His shoulders dropped slightly His hand was on his leg and it turned, opening

He was hurting

I didn’t think; my arm lifted and htened the hold, our fingers laced together, and I squeezed

He gaveup For being self-absorbed" I bit down onand that makes me hurt too"

He closed his eyes His head moved lower and his chest jerked up A second later, he said, "Thank you, Sam" His voice was hoarse He squeezed my hand back "Thank you"

"I’m sorry"

He nodded "I know" He lifted his arm, our hands still joined, and laid it across my shoulders He pulled me into his side His head bobbed down to rest on ht next to mine He murmured, "I needed this"

"Me too"

"Mason left, and I lost hi me from the corner of his eye "Are you back?"

"I’ainst his "I promise"

"Good" His body had been tense, but as he said that word, all of it left hi It would’ve slipped off, but I kept ed it back into place We shared a grin and readjusted I burrowed closer to his side and he propped his ar ainst the top ofa soft kiss to my temple He murmured, "I’ve ret filtered through an’s in love with you" I hadn’t tried to distance an I tried to distanceto haunt me forever I had to accept it

"Sam?"

I moved an inch over so I could see hi on with you?"

Nerves sparked up inof doo I had to let go of one of the secrets "You know that Jackson guy?"

"Yeah?" He tensed against me

"I don’t know if Mason ever told you, but I slept with another guy before hiain until last Friday night"