@GRANDICTATORWAY ๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ก? I fucking tried. โ His gaze dropped again. โ But ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ. And at some point, I just... โ He trailed off, swallowing hard. โ ๐ผ ๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐โ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐.
The admission tasted worse than the blood still lingering >
@GRANDICTATORWAY Then daydream about it, ๐๐๐๐ฆ. I know we can't. Not here. Not like this but... ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ง'๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐๐๐๐ญ.
@GRANDICTATORWAY them to hear.
โ I already feel ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐กโ๐๐ก๐๐, Gerard. ๐ผ ๐๐๐'๐ก ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐.
He fell silent, staring at the ceiling as he fought to keep his breathing steady.
@GRANDICTATORWAY the hours he'd spent lying outside in the rain afterward. His knuckles were scraped raw, his shoulders stiff, and every movement sent another reminder through his battered body.
He'd lost track of how many times he'd woken up. Or how many times he'd wished he hadn't.
>
@GRANDICTATORWAY But none of it came out.
Instead, his eyes finally found Gerard's again.
โ ๐ท๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ ๐กโ๐๐๐ ๐ผ ๐ค๐๐๐ก๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐กโ๐๐ .แฃ
The question cracked at the end.
He looked away immediately, ashamed of how much he'd allowed >
โ ๐๐๐ข ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ผ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ก.แฃ
His expression shifted, just slightly.
โ And what the fuck do you mean we've met before?
He hadn't moved when the stranger came through the door. Not because he wasn't startled. Quite the fucking opposite.
His entire body had gone rigid the moment someone stepped inside, every muscle tightening in anticipation of something he wasn't sure he could take again.
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โHi!โ He was already through the door before heโd decided to be. It was open. Didnโt count as breaking in if it was open โ that was a rule, probably. Heโd check. He wouldnโt check.
โOkay, donโt freak out.โ He held both hands up, like that made it better, then >
his ribs reminded him why moving was a terrible idea.
He sucked in a breath through his teeth.
โ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ค๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ. ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฉ?
His gaze dropped to the cigarette. For a moment, he simply stared at it. Then he looked back at Bert.
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