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She responded to s wound around my waist, and I pressed her into a wall I pulled back just enough to double-check she was all there She sht So alive I touched the side of her face "I love you"

I saw her love swim to the surface then, too She nodded "I love you, too"

I rested my forehead to hers "You’re okay?"

"I’m okay"

She looked down and lifted one of my hands to inspect my knuckles, which were bloody and raw "Are you okay?"

My hands would be sore in an hour It orth it I tucked her hair behind her ear and cupped her face again "If you’d--" I struggled to say the words I didn’t even want to think theulped for breath "Fuck, Taylor If you’d--if he had--"

"He didn’t He got Eric--" She choked up "Eric--"

She pulled back, starting for the door

I couldn’t let her go The guy saved her, and I’d thank him later, but for now, I just needed her "Taylor"

She looked up and saw my torment Her face softened She held both sides of ain She said softly, "I’ those tords over and over again I nodded,ain I needed to hear it all the way through the night, the next day, the next week, and even the next ain

Never fucking again

I breathed out once more "I love you I don’t care if you don’t want to be with hed, her hands holdingto find you I was going to plead, if I had to"

"You don’t have to I was going to do the sah I already knew this If I had her for a year, I’d thirst for a second, then a third I stopped, wrapped ht around her, and just held her to me I breathed her in

LARGE AND IN CHARGE