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My expression turns sy for him to continue

“And when I could be sitting beside his bed, soaking up those lasthere in a restaurant with a woman I love And I’ rules”

My chin jerks inward, and I straighten in one from bereaved to bitter?

Rafe pushes his plate aside and scoots his chair in closer to the table, which enables hiht I love you, Calliope, and theto admit that to you is fucked up beyond allyou on the tire swing over at Kent Mitchell’s house during one of his summer parties I told you when your back was toaway fro with you The look you gave me over your shoulder as you came back was utterly stunned and joyous all at the same tiht time to tell you, and I knew you felt the same exact way about me”

I’m speechless, first and foremost by the memory he just painted so prettily I remember that day as clearly as if it had happened yesterday, It was truly one of the best moments of my life

“I love you,” he says again, this time with his eyes laser-locked onto me There’s no way I can ever doubt how much he means it “I’ve always loved you Never stopped All these years, it’s only ever been you I loved And I was recently told I shouldn’t hold things like this back because one never kno short on tio anotherthat you’re the only wo you cooked up is horseshit I think you know that, too, Calliope”

My head ain, a silent denial of what he just said “Rafe”

He holds up his hand, indicating that he doesn’t want to hear whatever I’ his na other than that you love me in return, I honestly don’t want to hear it Because if you say anything other than that right now, it’s only because you’re too scared to do it, and I don’t have tiot a lotshit on my plate”

A surge of anger courses through hts, as scattered and incoherent as they would probably be because he has me so flustered

But one thing is clear, and it’s not fair that I’ht to be wary, Rafe Yes, we s are totally coht to feel this way”

“No,” he says with an adamant shake of his head “You don’t”

I blink at him, totally shocked speechless

He points his finger at ht to feel that way For sure You had the right to carry around anger and hurt feelings I did you wrong, and I deserved your enmity But not anymore I told you why I did what I did It was foolish and wrong and coized for it From the bottoiven me If you hadn’t, there’s no way you would have let me into your body So noe’re in a position where you’re just stuck, afraid to go forward, and clinging on to a past that’s nooff”

Once again, my chin pulls in, disbelief that this has all turned so sideways swa?”

“I’ that I don’t want to be friends with benefits anymore I want a real, intimate relationship full of love and partnership with you Hell, I al you andI’ll wait for you to realize this is meant to be So when you’re ready to o backward to this farce of a situation where we fuck and pretend to be friends That’s not working for me anymore”