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I find hi tired and blond and faintly badass, with the blood and his black shirt, his ball cap tucked into the waistband of his shorts His arms are tanned more darkly now So is his throat, and those cheekbones

“You’re staring” He says it husky

“You’re being an AA”

“Leuess,” he says as I lead the way up “Second word or maybe the first word is asshole”

I’m pleased to tell him, “Nope”

I step up into the loft, holding his gaze as he steps up behindin on the twin bed “Is this a bedroom?”

“Study-bedroom”

“You come here to study?”

“No, dude It’s my dad’s study When I’m here, I use it as a bedroom”

“That’d be e call a study” His dark brows pinch “Is your dad an asshole?”

“What? No”

His lips stretch into a big, drunk grin He holds a finger out, his right hand in a gun-like shape “You’re a liar, DG”

“Did he seem like an asshole?” I try

“Maybe,” he says

I scoff “Why?” Actually, we shouldn’t go there I wave at the bed “Sit down You’re gonna hold the towel in your lap and I’ll pour a capful of alcohol orI don’t knohich one yet Need to consult my phone”

“Just throw some alcohol on it I know it’ll hurt But then it’ll be over,” he says, sitting on the edge of the bed

“Then it’ll be over? Iwill be over What matters is how much it hurts first”

He leans back on his good arree”

How does he disagree, I wonder as I set the first aid kit on the duvet beside hi hurts, which is why his focus is on the fact that it will, at soel a nihilist?

Ialcohol, antibiotic ointel It’s a stupid nickname, but he’ll never know Besides, he really does look like soel sent to level cities or some shit Bonus points that the anacronym is “AA”

I glance up, finding his eyes on ain There’s a little wrinkle in his forehead

“What’re you looking at?” I scoff

“You” His eyes narrow like he’s thinking about so more