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I feign pressing ainst his face, and Barrett nips at my pinkie

“Anyway I got into Duke for pre-med—” His brows arch, and I s at hihter “So Duke is where I met Elvie Elvie Wesson”

Bear nods slowly, his gorgeous face expressionless

“He was pre-istration line the very first day” I pause, re that moment The way Elvie stepped behind me and wrapped his hands over my eyes, as if we knew each other “His parents, you know, are pretty fa intostuff on hold and just did school and sports and stuff I got discovered during a tournament Taekwondo tournament”

“Discovered?” He s

“As they say” I arch my brows

“Did you like it? Modeling?” he asks

I bite“I was in a different place then Honestly?” I blink down at hiood I out with Elvie’s family a lot, and coroupie So the ot the part of Jessica in End of Day, this indie film, and that was even better That whole time period, when I re Christot a record deal” I can hear the wistfulness in my oords As if he can feel the way ers stroke my side

“I thought I had it all I ht ere I bought a little house I could tellthere I put e in my head, and even before I had an albuh, and even tothe dreaood Probably even better than reality would have been So there’s that”

Barrett’s lips meet the inside of my wrist He looks up at me with this wondrous expression on his face Wondrous, yet serious Sincere “Have I told you I think you’re fucking incredible?”

My cheeks sting My lips curve, all on their own “I’ positive andforas the only option that made sense”

I cup my hand around his face “I think you’re the sa, anyway”

He pushes up on one elbow, resting his cheek in his pallet?”

I smile at the name, then sober some and look into his eyes, so he can see the sincerity in et fro” I sardenia trees is shedding petals that end up in your pockets when I do laundry”

He cuts his eyes away from mine and makes a funny kind of eh at