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I ran h my hair “Mike, I… He never bothered me, all these years He let me choose to come to him, even when he had to feel like as done to hi, even now I have to give him a chance”

“You’re right,” Mike said “Nothing’swhat could have been” Hespecific with that, obviously, and I really wanted to knohat that was, but of course he didn’t share with me “Just, I want you to know, if you ever decide you need help with that situation—or with the not-exactly-boyfriend situation, you can always give me a call Any time Don’t hesitate”

I wish I could have hugged him, but of course we’d never done that—and I’d just re any underwear still, which ly so wrong could so quickly come to feel normal

Another knock on ot up off

“That’ll be Ryan,” I said “It’s not like Mum thinks she needs to ask Come in, Ryan, it’s a party in here”

Mike squeezed past Ryan as he stepped in “I’ll let the two of you have some time to yourselves” Probably keen to head off Mum most likely

But once Ryan and I were alone together, he didn’t seem to knohat he’d really come in to say He scratched his stubble and then picked up one ofit down

It was up to htly together first “Did you hear everything?”

“In this house?” Ryan rolled his eyes “Is that really true, though? He never hit you? Iyour entire opinion of this event nohat he’s telling you?”

I would have expected hi actually Refuse to hear this side of the story coht I knehy he was like this, too

“Did you actually see it happen, Ryan? Do you re either of us?”

He grimaced “I don’t knohat I res being shit at ho at one another all the time”

Both of the at one another I was too tense all of a sudden to ask him to clarify, but I didn’t really need to If he’dat Mum, then he would have said it differently

“I think I re with Mum’s friend for a few days Maybe just so”

“But you don’t re me”