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"You mean when I kicked you in the face?" I feel ht I officially ood and bad ways "What did you have in h his and he pullsto take you out on a date"

I choke on a laugh, but realize he’s being serious "Oh " He slides the glass door open "I don’t joke"

We enter the living, which has a pungent se all over the place, and then he shuts the door The air isthat looks like wine spilled on the carpet

"A date?" I ask as he steerssome cards and bottles out of the way "Really? It see we’ve kissed, slept together, ether, and then all that other stuff you did to ht"

He presses his hand to his heart, still holding my hand so I touch his chest, too He keeps it there as he opens the door to our bedroom "Hey, don’t pretend you didn’t like it In fact, I’ested it"

"I did not," I tell hi seem even harder I mean, what are we supposed to do? Sit and eat dinner while we chat about our lives when everything between us is so intense?"

He wavers with uncertainty as he shuts the bedroom door behind us "Well, we don’t know that enerally like to keep things that ith people"

He nods in agree down the road we’re on and argue until we both lose it again, get drunk, and fool around Or we can get to know each other and see where things go It depends on what you want"

"You’re letting me decide?" I ask, shocked

He catches his breath for a split second "Yeah… I think a a decision "What if I said no? Would you be upset?"

He sits down on the bed, tugging me doith him "I’ll only answer that if you tell s both ways," he says and a lu hard "The truth is… yeah, I would be upset Even though you’re a pain in the ass, I like spending ti it"

"You’re kind of a pain in the ass, too" I nudge hi up "But I like that you’ve been around for the last feeeks"

He lets out a laugh and then shakes his head "Wow, that was fking hard"

I laugh, too, and it’s the strangest, h for a e and weird and… well nor side by side, our clasped hands squished between our bodies

"So what do people generally do when they go out on dates?" I ask as he traces circles on ers stop"You’ve never been on one?"

I shakeon my hip to face him "Nope Never I already told you I’ve never really had anyone inpeople in"

His e on his face, yet stunning "That’s good to know It means your expectations will be lower"

I roll my eyes and playfully pinch his ar--"

The brush of his lips silences ether He doesn’t try to shove his tongue down my throat, he just lays there, fully content in the si into an easy peace

Finally, he pulls away "See si , because at the erous I thought Luke was or still think he ives me I’m with him because I want to be I want to be here And I proht

Luke

I’m not even sure why I said it I don’t date, yet at the sa on doors because I think she’s fking some other dude Violet’s different I’ like I’et backdrunk, screwing, and bailing

We e into a clean shirt and jeans and clip on my leather band with "redemption" written on it Then I spend the rest of the day cleaning the house, while she stays in the rooht on the drinks for three reasons: (1) I have to be sober enough to drive; (2) I want to be aware of everything that happens, feel it, live it, because if I’ to make it worth it; and (3) I don’t want to have to make her check o withoutto just quit cold turkey I stick to beers, and am only on my second one when Seth coover, but at the saht?" he asks with speculation in his voice as he gets a jug of orange juice out of the fridge

"Asa box of books no one’s bothered to unpack froo after girls who are easy" He twists the cap off the orange juice "You were going after the vixen last night"

I tear the tape off the top of the box "I really wish you’d stop calling her that"

He takes a gulp and wipes hisher" He puts the lid back on and opens the fridge door "If I didn’t know better, I’d guess you have feelings for the vixen"

"Her name is Violet," I say defensively as I open the box "I don’t know exactly how I feel about Violet yet, but it’s enough that I don’t want you to call her that"

That stuns hiet under his judging gaze as I re box "Can we just drop it? I’ I want to do is talk about it"

He puts the orange juice back in the fridge and shuts the door "So what are you going to do about it?"