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I don’t knohat the fuck he means by that What’s too late? How is it too late?

But he doesn’t explain He just backs away frolued to my face Then he turns and strides quickly across the road, disappearing down another side street

Leaving me alone

Trying to catch roceries Ryland dropped on the sidehen he grabbed me The jar of pasta sauce broke I can see the thick red liquid spreading across the botto like blood A container of juice cracked in the other bag, and it’s leaking out to pool on the dirty sidewalk

Jesus If that isn’t the perfect fucking analogy for my relationship with these three men, I don’t knohat is

They stalk roceries and leavelike my chest has been turned inside out

They patch up my heart and then break it

Over and over and over again

Chapter 13

I don’t see Ryland again as I return to the store and re-buy all of roceries

In fact, I don’t see him or either of the other two men for the next several days

The usual routines of ht—though I don’t drag any random men out back with me—and do another telance around furtively, but I honestly can’t tell if anyone is watching me or not

If they are, they’re back to being subtle about it, hiding out of sight and not just popping up in front of hosts in a damn haunted house

I’one, though Whatever that strange interaction I had with Ryland was, I doubt it was enough to convince him or any of them to disappear from my life

But so feels like it’s shifted anyway