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Ruby picked up on her change of ave a little whimper

Chickening out? He instinctively bristled, programmed to instantly deny her accusation, but he had to ado If she insisted on putting it that way then sure, he was chickening out Personally, he preferred to think of it as ic avoidance of a situation that would only bring hiht?

“No, I don’t”

“Fine,” Alexis said with a sigh “We’ll go on our own I just thought you were a better man than that”

“Better man? What do you mean?” he retorted, his pride pricked by her words

“Well, I know you’ve been busily ing in your solitary world for at least nine months now, but you weren’t the only person to lose Bree I’m sorry to be this blunt, but you have to remember, all your friends lost her, too, and it was a double whammy for them when you shut them all out at the same time I know they miss you and they’re your friends, too, Raoul”

“I didn’t”

He let his voice trail off He wanted to refute what she’d said but he knew she told the truth He had cut all ties deliberately At the time, he hadn’t wanted platitudes or sympathy or help, particularly froain” when he had just wanted to be left alone with his ed

Or had it? He missed the caaby, the discussion between felloine enthusiasts over one varietal trend or another But he wasn’t ready to get back out there, to reconnect with peoplewas he?

The idea was pretty terrifying He’d been insular for so long now Even if he could y to try, would his old friends even want to talk to hiht rude on occasions When he’d surfaced frorief he’d been filled with resento on unsullied while his had fallen into an abyss And once he’d fallen, it had become easier to remain deep down inside the abyss rather than to claw his way back out and into the light

Clearly Alexis had had enough of his excuses because she picked up the picnic bag she’d obviously packed earlier and headed to the door He stood there, frozen to the spot as she blithely walked away

“Wait!”

The sound was more of a croak than a word She stopped in her tracks and half turned toward him