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"Later," he murmurs, and I feel his voice everywhere

It’s a promise

11

DEX

I don’t speak much on the drive back; uilt Girls on the road, girls in LA I’s they’d do just to get close to fame, like my stardom would rub off on theless fuck

Sure, it was great starting out Neverthe keys to the candy store, hell, me and the boys ran around like we just inherited the whole freaking factory We were young, red-blooded men with money to burn, and hot chicks at every turn We partied hard Vegas LA London We got a reputation fast, and we earned every s to the lis I did, the girls I screwed, and now, it hter Someone’s sister On their knees in the back of the tour bus; bent over an a us off in front of the whole fucking rooet , but that doesn’t make it any better Whether it was a world-fae, they all wanted the saht on ive a fuck about e of honor

And I couldn’t care less about them either

It eats you up inside if you’re not careful Someone acts like they’re not worth a da But it’s not right, to use people and then just throw theot jaded and bitter real fast, until I couldn’t take that shit any to suck my cock, and wonder what the hell happened to her to make her feel so cheap, like she can sell herself for a couple of VIP passes and a ht

And if I couldn’t respect her, then I sure as hell look at uilty look in my eyes

Alicia shifts in her seat beside s ht now

Her

I inhale, the drift of her honeysuckle scent forcing the dark shadows fro that happened last year, but somehow, she understands The way she kissedlot, just reached up and chased the demons away…

It’s a salve, an escape, the sweetest salvation I could iine

And I sure as hell won’t screw this up

I drive us back through Beachwood Bay and pull into the crowded lot outside Jimmy’s It’s the local dive, a cool, laid-back kind of place where they play Dylan on the jukebox and the locals don’t give ers in town," I tell Alicia, holding the door open for her

"Garrett?" she repeats slowly, then her face changes, seeing the bartender across the roohted note in her voice "I didn’t know this was your place!"

My buddy Garrett laughs, colory," Garrett grins