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Oh, crap

This required such delicacy and I’d just opened my mouth and spewed!

Mikaela’s smoky-accented eyes widened Her jaw slacked Then promptly shut “Ari”

“I know I’m so sorry I could have said that much more eloquently Eased you into it I panicked” I stared helplessly at her “It’s just that … we invited you here tonight so that you’d hear it from us, not on some ten o’clock newscast when the rest of the world finds out Dane actually survived the explosion”

“Survived the explosion” She said this slowly, tentatively, speculatively As though I ht be crazy and she suddenly feared for her life “Ari, is there anything else you’d like to tell me?”

“As in, am I on medication? A nut job?”

“That’s not at all what I said”

“Yet that’s exactly what you’re thinking I’d feel the same if I were currently in your shoes”

“Ari”

“I know It seems impossible Implausible Lunacy, even I experienced the saain, this is Dane we’re talking about And Amano He’s alive, too Amano saved Dane He was really, reallytime and I didn’t know they’d both escaped; no one knew either one of them had survived and that played out well for Dane so that he could—oh, Christ Just … Let me show you”

I took a step toward her She shrank back in her seat

“I promise I would never, never lie about this to you or anyone else,” I insisted “It’s not so I’ve made up, Mikaela And Dane can better explain it all Just, please Coreat room Let me show you,” I repeated

She’d gone a bit pale I saw a trelistened with the threat of tears

It tore me apart I knew her pain I knew exactly how she felt

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