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“It’s cool I’ood” His eyelids drooped

“Berk, sleep”

His sleepy smile made ht” He rested his head against the seat back and closed his eyes The steady rhyth started in less than a

My head snapped up off Berk’s shoulder as I jolted awake Wiping the side offlames of embarrassment threatened to consume me I spotted the dark splotch on his shoulder and squeezed ically eometric pattern on the seat back in front offor an ejector seat

“You’re up, sleepyhead”

A wheezy giggle burst free from my lips

Berk craned his neck and looked down at the spot on his shirt “Looks like you got real comfortable”

Was I too old to run away and join the circus?

“Jules, chill out” He rested his hand on ainst the seat “I’m on buses almost half the season You don’t think I’ve ever drooled on solanced out the“Where are we?”

“Alrandparents’ house”

“They’re having the party at your grandparents’ house? I never knewIs it a tradition or so?” We rolled down the unpaved drive, kept that way to preserve the out-of-tiency manor house replica

“It’s not their house anys, corporate retreats A place out in the middle of nowhere where no one can hear you scream”

His eyes bulged

I laughed, resting my hand on his arm I wished I’d told him all this in my letters, that I’d been so open that he could put the pieces together and figure out it was me

Instead, I’d been guarded, even when trying to express a part ofhis words and hearing a side of hih, I saw ether