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Finally he pulls up the Skype screen, and my first instinct is to hide ht?"

This is what I want hi I want to be is a clingy girl who’s so insecure that she can’t handle her boyfriend talking to another girl, but I can’t brush aside the uneasiness "But the pictures--the way she’s touching you…" A knock sounds on lad for the escape "Just a minute"

When I pull it open, Reid stands there with the room service menu in his hand "Hey, did you want some--what’s thelike an idiot and trying not to cry "I’m fine"

He tosses the o to ?"

"I’ the ry, but thanks"

He spots the open laptop on my bed and arches a brow His voice lowers to a whisper "Talking to Graham?"

I nod

He takes my chin in his hand, looks into my eyes, and in the same low tone tells me, "Come talk to me when you’re done, if you need to" Fantastic--he’s definitely seen the photos

I nod again, so he’ll leave, and I shut the door behind him once he does

Graham’s expression is shuttered when I return "Was that Reid?"

"Yes"

"Why is he co to your room?"

My answer slips out before I consider the iazes atblurry His hand lays curved across hishiers shift and tords escape "A suite?"

"There are two bedroo a living roo photos of hiazes up at hi his forehead in an intimate caress

"Aweso, Graha anything I just don’t trust him" He stares away from the screen, silent after this pronouncee of hiuesstih to read, though, even from thousands of miles away

The constricted sensation that keepsas well Not trusting Reid shouldn’t affect Graham’s confidence in me

Finally, he looks at the screen and leans closer, and I gulp at the lurapefruit in my windpipe

"I have a research paper to finish and turn in tonight, so we’ll talk toht

GRAHAM

What did I tell Emma before--that I’ the past three weeks, we’ve spent an hour or ether She’s relayed stories about her steps and Es that I ht not be about her

Tonight ere off in fifteenof assertions that can’t be unsaid

I’ve watched reeh to include raised voices, but whenever rind diaoes for a walk around the block It doesn’t matter what kind of weather it is, either--I’ve seen him take off in tempest conditions and come back soaked to the bone with an inside-out umbrella The point is to never say words you can’t take back

"I thought you were supposed to coo, after Dad stoidly out the front door "Isn’t that what your whole, like, career is based on telling people to do?"

Brynn and I eavesdropped from around the corner We stared at each other in ement of Cassie’s direct hit Cassie was often Dad’s advocate, though Mohed "Yes, but there are exceptions When you find yourself about to say so that could cause irreparable har"

"Dad would never say sohed once, no amusement in the sound "Exactly"

I do have a paper due tomorrow, but the body of the paper is done; only the citations page remains Inadvertently, I’ve institutedaround the block, because there are a load of words threading throughor objective

I don’t fault Reid for his uy--I’ve had plenty ofof a hypocrite What I fault hied a girl to fall ass over elbows for hi around I could excuse what he did to Brooke as i to Eet what he wants, he’s out screwing as h

E nice at the moment, he’s above suspicion Like he took no for an anshere she was concerned But I watched hiaze he leveled on her If this o hundred years ago, I’d have conte the shit out of hi he did with her would have guaranteed it