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There’s really nothing he can say: agree with ue withI won’t believe him

He tucks the pen into the spine and closes the book

Probably the best option

I quietly watch hi the vent to let rab his shoes and jacket and say good night, but he doesn’t Instead he lies back down beside me, but closer this time, the itchy checkered blanket that I have cocooned myself within the only barrier between us

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes

"Why did you punch that guy at the bar?"

"I didn’t like the way he was touching you"

I watch, waiting for hiins to rise and fall at a lower rate and his full lips just barely part Until I realize that the damn boy from next door has fallen asleep in my aparter on the floor The last thing I reuess I fell asleep

That ht strea door, I can see that he’s not here now, though the fire is burning bright, as if so bold red numbers at me, so the power’s back on

And my journal sits beside it

I reach over and open it to the last page, with Jesse’s narrow scrawl, his last entry:

Scar = Resilient

TWENTY-SEVEN

Jesse

then

"What the fk are you doing, Jesse!" Boone hisses, his eyes darting fro roos

"Did you not just see her face?"

"Yeah, I did I also knoho did that to her Make her go to the hospital, the cops Convince her to ditch the assle But don’t shack up with her in our apartelled hair, sending his perfectly styled long waves into disarray

"I tried She won’t do any of that But she is going to leave hi on his hips "I hope you’re right For both your sakes And mine, since I’m your roommate and it’ll be hard for me to deny that she was here if Rust ever hears about this"

"No one’s going to hear about this She’ll lay low It’s just for the week,out after that Justno visitors during that time Especially not Priscilla"

"Fuck, you think?" He shakes his head and goes to his room, Licks on his heels

When I open the door toin front of my mirror, her pants and shirt pulled away as she inspects the fresh tattoo on her pelvis "It’s not too ht of her long, slender torso, bruises and all "No, it’s definitely not toohers where they hold her clothing back "Do you like it?"

"I love it"

And I love the way her tongue curls around that word The way her eyes flicker to mine in her reflection when she says it The way she’s watchingit up, but I have to because I’ to say about it?"

She turns towardacrossit damn near impossible for me to restrain s like that Still, I keep my hands firmly in place

"I like what you’ve done with your roo, ‘I rolled out of bed’? WellI do, every day Literally"

Her eyes skate over the sle dresser, a e apartuy who needs a bed to fall into Thinking back to the sner-decorated and custoh now

But she says she wants ht now, this is me

The question is, will she still want this when she’s free of hih the door and tossing his keys on the rack "I could get used to this"

I chuckle as I kick the door shut behindtoday--beef and herbs and definitely Italian--rowl We step into the kitchen to find her stirring a pot of tohetti sits over another pot If the pile of dishes is any indication, that sauce didn’t come out of a jar

"Hey, Alex," Boone and I chirp in unison

This is the third night we’ve come home to a set table and Alex in the kitchen, Licks faithfully waiting at her feet And all I did to deserve it was ht--I could totally get used to this

"I finally see how Licks earned his na a sauce-covered wooden spoon out for the bulldog that sits by her legs He goes after it i up every last drop until it’s just wood "I think he’d lick the grain right off the wood if I let him" She tosses it into the sink