Page 138 of No Need to Run

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Holding a kitten we'd named together.

Her sister almost exposed... something.

And somehow... I hadn't left.

When I should’ve run screaming into the night.

“Why was she in the bushes?” I mutter.

Silence.

And why didn’t I run inside and lock the door?

“Why did her sister say stalking?”

That one sits heavier. Because it didn’t feel like a joke.

And even though Callie corrected it to walking, I know what I heard.

I deal with numbers for a living. Details matter.

And that detail won’t leave me alone.

I shake my head, pushing it away. “No,” I mutter. “That’s—no.”

I take a turn a little too fast. I don’t run off the road, but it’s enough to make me realize I’m breaking rules—again—because of Violet.

All I do now is break rules.

Focus.

“Why did I stay?” I ask out loud.

There’s no answer for that question.

I should've left.

Any normal person would have.

But I stayed.

I must’ve lost my damn mind.

We watched Luna eat like she’d never seen food before.

Like we’re a… couple.

I swallow hard.

Do I want to be a couple?

Wait a minute.

You’re getting ahead of yourself.

Do you want to go on a second date with her?

Yes.

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