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"Oh, but come on, Cass…" Nate starts "You know you want a shirt that says so like ‘I’m with Teddy Bear man’…"

"Or ‘My boyfriend wears tutus,’" I pipe in, barely able to finishso hard Cass, on the other hand, has her ar at the two of us, cracking ourselves up

"Are you done yet?" she says, her lips pulled up to the side, and her face irritated This only h harder, and Cass rolls her eyes and holds up her hand "Good night, children!"

It takes us alh to actually open up books onfinal exa break, and I have an essay project due for my art history class I really want to finish it early so I won’t have to focus on any homehile I’ to his parents’ house for the holiday--worried that I was intruding, andI always did with ot to break, theclose to Nate, period--was ht

Somehow, I’m able to read two chapters, andon the opposite end of the bed fros stretched out next to es me with his toes

"Keep your stinky feet to yourself," I say, pushing his socked foot to the side, which of course only makes him drop it completely on my lap and kick it around under my nose

"Oh, I’m sorry Am I…in your space?" he teases I pick upit on his ankle, prettyinback a little and resting his chin in his pal atclose to paying attention to the words on es I close ainst it like a pillow--and we lay still like this, quietly studying one another, for several minutes before either of us talks

"Do you still think about him a lot?" I’m not surprised by Nate’s question, but it causes htly, nevertheless He’s chewing on the cap to his pen, his face so kind and regarding It’s not a jealous question--not like how he is e joke about Tucker No, this question is one of genuine interest, of wanting to know me that much deeper, kno hts of everything that happened

"Yes" I can see a hint of sadness color his features when I admit this "But not as much as I used to It’s a little less…everyday"

More silence settles in, but it’s comfortable We’re still for several minutes, and then Nate reaches his hand for ing his thue

"Is it bad that I don’t think about him as much as I used to?" I ask, and Nate’s hands pause He takes a slow deep breath without looking atabouthimself in my shoes

"Honestly? I think it’s huain "Either way…I think it’s okay"

We don’t talk about it anymore, and after a few minutes, Nate picks up his books and hauls the, and we’re leaving for his parents’ house later in the day, so he said he wanted to let ut, I felt a little pang over hi unspoken He didn’t want to be here But I also didn’t fight toin both of our heads And I was thinking about Josh tonight…more than I wanted to

Plane rides were definitely better with Nate It took about three hours to get to New Orleans, and another hour or so to get froe Their house isn’t large, but it’s old The grass out front seeet to a porch flanked by white posts and stretching the entire expanse of the ho behind it, I swear I’ve stepped into a postcard

"I love your home," I say, and I realize it co you’re supposed to say to be polite But I mean it--I really love his home It feels like I fit here I keep that part to h, because that sounds crazy