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He stared at her and she waited Waited for him to say the words she prayed wouldn’t come But the words he said were the ones she was least expecting

‘You’re crying,’ he observed

The stifled tears now beca!’

‘But you never cry, Lex,’ he said and she could hear the note of surprise in his voice

No, she never cried Not all through those long nights when she’d lain awake to protect Jason and Jake, flinching with terror when she heard the drunks crashing around in the corridors outside their hostel roo with the es, when her dreams had been shattered She’d been too scared to cry, for fear that once she started she ht never stop

‘What else a to do, when the man I love doesn’t want me?’

Xenon’s jaw tightened He sa tired her eyes looked, lasses He saw the tracks of her tears, the creased jeans and a T-shirt which looked as if it had been slept in And in that moment he loved her so completely and so powerfully that it took his breath away

‘Oh, but he does,’ he said softly ‘He wants you very ain, because that he really couldn’t bear’

There was abecause her throat was so choked with eain And when she did, the words burst froht and true ‘Oh, Xenon, I’ll never leave you Never, never, never’ There was a pause as she saw the blue glitter of his own tears ‘Because I love you Oh, I love you so much’

‘Then you’d better coht over here and let me kiss you,’ he said unsteadily ‘Because I don’t think I can wait er’

Her legs felt shaky It was like walking in shoes a size too small, but somehow Lexi made it across the su He pulled a handkerchief fro her face dry before replacing them

And then he started to kiss her He kissed her until she was dizzy with longing and when he let her go she was so happy that she wanted to dance around the fancy suite But then she noticed that he was glancing at his watch and that he was frowning

‘You know, I really do have to be don very soon,’ he said ‘If it was any other engages to a lot of people and I want to put a very positive ie of Greece out there But if you want me to stay—’

‘Go,’ she said, lifting her hand to his cheek and stroking it ‘I can wait here until you get back’