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She leaned back on the sofa “And there’s the fact that you walked out on me”

He crossed his arms “I told you why”

“Yeah, you didn’t like the idea of living together You weren’t ready to make a commitment”

“That’s not exactly hoould put it”

She glanced at the framed print and then returned her attention on him “Did you run away from home?”

“No, I stayed” Until he was driven out Until it was made very clear that his parents did not love him That no one could love him “That’s when I learned to rely on no one I had to stand on my own if I wanted to survive”

“That’s a very bleak outlook on life”

“It is, but Itime” He had survived Thrived For a ti out “And then I met you”

She winced and covered her face with her hands “I scared you off I knew it”

“Not in the way you think You made me believe I could be someone different Someone better But I can’t”

Angie leaned forward and rested her arms on her knees “Cole, I don’t want you to be different”

“You say that now If we had lived together, you would have kicked me out within a month” Probably sooner, he decided She would have been under no obligation to stick around

“Ah”

Cole scowled at her “I hate when you do that” Ithe rather would have had kept safely hidden

“That’s why you ended our relationship It wasn’t because I was unladylike and too aggressive in bed It was because I was getting too close”

“Aggressive?” He didn’t know if he would call it that

“You weren’t couess what, Cole It wasn’t easy for me to bare it all with you”