ny'

place you went to when you wanted to for

ew minutes, and a lot of strangers who were all t

rf

, sliding my glass ac

leeve tattoo and kind eyes, looked at

miled tightly. "An

t without a

o and that woman in my kitchen. The kitchen I had paid for, t

s down harder

. You are not going to cry in a kar

y going to cry

ving his arm around, b

le! Who's next

I had checked into the cheapest motel I could find and the walls were so thin I could hear the couple next door arguing

sed m

at me as I'd just won somethi

up t

red. I picked something slow and mourn

es played and I

y man who ever lied to my

e in the ba

ted si

ord. When the chorus hit I closed my eyes and just let it rip right out of my

ou forgot to love yourself. My voice

he applause was sp

nd turned around too fa

bbed the edge

abbed my elbow br

" I said, steppin

because the room was doing something strange and I was

s and laugh at themselves, and something about it made my chest ache in a g

the room lurche

quietly. "That

up of women in matching sashes celebrating something loud and colorful. I hit the edge o

mo

My stomach had already made its decision

up on hi

llowed lasted appro

y heel caught the leg of a barstool and I grabbed hi

let

g my elbow, and looked down at me with an expression that was impossible to read

threw it back differently. There was something about the way he stood that

irt. I have..." I reached for my bag and the roo

n," he said. His vo

My legs sa

and I let him because my body had essential

y back against the wall and my knees f

day of my life," I

he was still composed, his forearms resting on his

g well,"

p. "I sang

ant it." He tilted

m. "I just thr

otic

e not

N

told him, because I felt like t

an t

him again. "

gged off the jacket he'd been holdin

ing to make sure

n't n

the lights went soft and the sound pulled away from me li