t of M

lin'

still l

chest. A heavy warmth that puls

anything. That Adrian had just gott

cheek, the way he whispered my name like i

life, someone looked at m

lp me... I

ve been the

ater, he m

left so fast a

it was bet

t. I've been thi

:

e over, I'l

the screen f

he'd have told me to take a

visiting her grandma. I was here, in my too-small ro

I t

y. Send t

was exactly wh

imalist but

a gray hoodie, like he hadn't e

said, vo

my heart wasn't pounding l

me

ery nerve ending in

ioned toward the sofa. We s

vy, awkward in a wa

You've been thi

he back of the couch. "Yeah. I know it pr

Because you've probably sa

a jerk. No excuse but I s

t me like h

ted how much I wan

ian?" I aske

sang... it wasn't just a voice. It was like you cracked someth

red a

g to b

ng to

ly lost betw

ed me," I

ante

still

dn't

slowly, like giv

I di

-and this time, it

breat

ge

him closer. His fingers grazed my neck, m

ing inside

ed, dismissed-suddenly I was th

just

nt

rwhelm

n his hands slid

or when his hoodie landed on the floor, or wh

st n

oment, I didn't w

ed to

e ch

limp or the stretc

ed to

just for

light streamed throug

smelled like cedar. My head was

, half-asleep, arm d

t, I let my

his wa

s meant

phone

be

dn't answer last n

n you wake

y cras

ach tig

d. "You okay?

he sheet around me.

face. "You don't have to

clothes. My body ached in unfamil

. need ai

ike he wanted to say so

" I said, "w

ghtened. "

sita

nod

dn't know wh

all the

I regretted

I wasn't sur

weeks

ld didn

ered about my au

nd I did

re

n the halls. He looked

twitched like he w

ther of

hift. "What happene

ng," I

d her eyes.

ght," I snappe

d. "And you're hurting bec

't ans

she wasn