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Recovering froates of Hell shrieking open, I swung s out of the low driver’s side onto the sidewalk, careful to keep ured a dinner party was a dress occasion, so I dug out the little black Donna Karen nuraduation I really didn’t have the right shoes to ith it anymore Not since the unpleasantness in my family, so I decided to accentuate the opposite and wear it with a pair of black Chuck Taylor One Stars

“Nice,” Camilla said when she opened the door

“Me or the wine?” I teased, having brought a bottle of aged Yellow Tale I had stolen from my dad in better times

“Both,” she said with a wink

The boys were playing gauys in their 30s who liked to play video-gaamers were in their early 30s In other words, people with jobs ere able to afford hundreds for a new console and fifty to sixty bucks a pop for new games

What was more of a surprise as on the other end of the couch, playing with hih, that shouldn’t have been a surprise either By all accounts, Aden and Cooper had been best friends before they ca Ca they had all basically grown up together

“Honey,” Camilla said sweetly, “could you join me in the kitchen for a minute?”

“Sure,” Aden said, standing up to his ht

I hadn’t really seen e as him in terms of raer The kind of size that would make most people at least take a step back Particularly if they didn’t see hi Yet he was also really casual and friendly It was difficult forbeen in the ar Particularly after a feine coolers

“Hello again,” Cooper said

“Hi,” I said

I wondered if the whole thing had been a setup If maybe Caain If she had, I wasn’t sure if I found it sweet or off-putting Though I decided to reserve judgment until I had a bit more information

Free of the wine, Sarah taking it with her into the kitchen, I went and sat next to Cooper on the couch There were few other options in the living roo in the chair on the other side of the room seemed really cold Particularly after the connection we had shared It could have been a one-night stand, but it had still been aht stand Or, at least not sure that I wanted it to be

Giving aon the opposite end of the couch, I ith ht next to Cooper The contrarian inthat this was precisely what I was expected to do, but I also didn’t care It hat I wanted to do I wanted to be near him I wanted Cooper to put his arm around s I had been so conflicted about on the way over