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I can’t obliviate him from my mind.

“–Lia?”

“Mhmm?” I break out of the spell, blink a few times, and look at him. “What?”

“Are you feeling okay?” His voice is low and concerned.

“Yeah, why?”

“You said you weren’t feeling well before, so I decided to stop by and see how you are doing.”

“Ohh that,” I remember, embarrassed.

Great, now he’ll think I was lying to him because I didn’t want to work on the project. Or even worst, he could think it was all because of yesterday at the library and that stupid game and later Diamond Morgan showing up.

“It wasn’t something serious,” I add quickly when I see his narrowed stare. “I had stomachache before, but now I’m not feeling that bad anymore. I took some painkillers and had a quick nap in the afternoon.”

“What from?”

“It was…” I blush even more and look down at Lola. There is no way I’m telling him I got my period and that I usually have really painful cramps the first day.

No way.

“Just girl stuff.”

“Girl stuff?” I can hear it in his voice that he doesn’t believe me entirely, but if he can’t connect the dots by himself I won’t do it for him.

“Yeah, girl stuff,” I repeat. “You didn’t have to come all this way because of that.”

I look up just in time to see him shrug. “I didn’t have anything better to do anyway.”

His response stings. He came just because he was bored?

What were you expecting? Derek King showing up so he can confess his undying love for you?

Once again, we fall into silence just staring at each other.

“You alone in there?”

I look behind my shoulder at the darkness like there is some other ‘in there’. “Yeah, my family is out.”

He shifts his weight from one foot to other. Looking at the floor, he puts his hands in pockets of his sweats, almost like he’s nervous.

“Would you mind if we hang out here for a while?”

He asks somewhat hesitantly, like he’s afraid I’ll send him on his merry way. It is something I should do, and I was really going to do, but it makes me close my mouth and swallow.

He lifts his head and looks at me under his eyelashes. Never before have I noticed how long and thick they are. His teeth slowly release his lower lip, and I can’t help but notice how rosy and plump it is. Soft. Inviting. Kissable.

Taking one deep breath in, I nod slowly and open the door widely. “Yeah,” my response is a shaky whisper. “Come on in.”

His blue eyes widen in surprise, but he doesn’t say anything and simply follows me inside with Ace in tow.

I close and lock the door behind me and lead them to the living room.

Once inside, he sits on our sofa between all the pillows my mom likes to have stashed on it. The image of his big, wide frame sitting like that, between dozens of different decorative pillows makes me laugh.

Ace is still standing next to me, his tail wiggling happily.

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