Under the Spotlight's Love

pte

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g, and my partner happen

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I pretended to be terrified, div

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d, pushin

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just watching horror fil

5

s arm again. "Come on, we both

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nt heartthrob and just play alon

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, but he didn't pull away this time. Instead

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d," he murmured, "are

9

1

h and me, not even our closest

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would guess that I had

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ed him from my apartment, clapping from my couch as his name flashed on screen. I felt every bit

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up, I'd imagined we'd be spending more time together. Bu

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unning a tired hand through his h

1

out of me. Just...

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ne who threw himself entirely into his roles. This was just

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d forgi

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cretly meet up with that

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into his role, or was

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, I felt a wave of anger and insecurity take over. The gap between his success and my career

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about was betray

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t told me over the phone. "Fo

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thing this indu

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in our downtown apartment whe

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very nerve on alert, and le

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k at

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rything

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ting at hers if you're so tire

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haustion plain, but he still w

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k before he g

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try touching

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os

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hing in his eyes as he tr

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st talking about the role. You know how much I g

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elieve him –

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rading jabs and resentments until

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d the door, I called

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And just so you know,

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ld retain was being th

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s if gathering himself, bu

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a friend's

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enjoying life anonymously was nearly impossible,

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w off steam, maybe even sh

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fellow actor there, someone

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it off undeniably made the plot and

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nario: I was a psychotic k

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real-life script, each of us exposing

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e else had left, but we staye

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ly good," he'd said,

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d that psycho a litt

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nfo. "Let's team up for the next

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, he looked up, surprised. "Tu

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s

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ame saved under

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ed him "B

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ly. We moved from chatting about roles and sc

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kly gre

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no secrets left in showbi

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ing more than friendship, and I wasn'

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workload, and since our time together was limited, I

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I didn't want to risk impacting his career,

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re like h

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an his g

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suggested going public a few times, but I al

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ake up for it, grounding me with lit

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minimalist style, he redid his bedroom in Snoopy's classi

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events, he quietly arranged for me to get one anyway, carefully

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oments like these, tho

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constant flow than a dramatic stor

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drive, and spent months moping at home.

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s in this industry u

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turn, and you're crumbling over a guy. Aren't you af

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to start with, and once you'

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be a shadow

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lightning bolt in the

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then help me up! I'm going to

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o one can ever

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reer, and eventually, thi

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les and gigs that came my way

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kly dismiss

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ver we crossed paths, he treated me like a str

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ew gig on a dating show to boost some buzz around the last sho

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ate: the other actor had dropped out, and the

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c moments" we'd planned with the last co-st

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a corner and called my agent. "D

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ner now. What are

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can stand up to al

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his is jackpot-level news. Just him showing up ne

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tal

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istant

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out, I felt tota

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over me, and Braeden's v

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up your deep, dark history of

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and my heartbeat spiked, le

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pinning me lightly against the wall, his

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ip; his fingers, calloused from training, gently teased a

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urmured, "I th

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sing to be intimidated. "Braeden, is twisting t

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up this back-and-f

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nk you now for th

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payback

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ar should, chatting and networking. Meanwhile, Braeden sat back at the head o

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n my busy flattery and hi

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e not satisfied with, just let us kno

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rector

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gave a b

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," the director went on

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r to work with? Her standing migh

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mid-conversation, straining t

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all

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at, crossing his legs and

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. Why don't you a

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the director woul

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ourse, h

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" he cal

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e showing Mr. Marsh some

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lose, I tilted my head just enough for Braeden to see my fru

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g forward to learn

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with a look of disdai

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keep things

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. w

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n some hidden tension, because he qu

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Mr. Marsh. I'll k

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ly softening into something brighter, al

1

l. I'm pretty sure she's the only one

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ough flirtation and ambigu

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. M

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exagger

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but then turned back

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you two alr

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cour

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replied

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N

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at a

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t the sa

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rs were compl

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osphere

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oking at us both wit

1

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tarted, a mino

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script and tried to pair up

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iou

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cided to capitalize on it, adding a game segme

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ng contest, with me and the

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arted, I shot Brae

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s ever, ar

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ed an eyebro

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r forte, go on

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ired me up to

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ooked decent enough, so wh

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need the biggest

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tand on principle, even if

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rl went all in, sleeves rolled up

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ng huge bites without

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piece, I went all out,

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letting her

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nd flashed a triumpha

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exclusive time with the

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ook at Braeden and then at me,

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d the game f

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rs, with fewer pieces too, but thanks to t

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trick ba

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o "recover," then offered my

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nailed it.

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sharpened, watc

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okie who was clearly feeling uncomfortable and

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won't be d

1

s clearly the typical boy-band type – dr

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s sweet and genu

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do m

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giving me

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I was helping him by choosing him, so his grat

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wasn't one t

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per something to the director, and within minute

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in an intense con

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r it wasn't

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r Braeden, no one dared

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e walked straight to

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so so

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everyone

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exchanged a k

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eams were gett

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elon scene

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ing segment to matc

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down, using his height to his

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nged with a

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ally didn't w

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nd I found myself scooting an inch a

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tor loving Braeden's close-ups, I felt the constant pressure to keep my faci

1

s removing my makeup

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y do you keep

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ying games together, he would fixate

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p it. Bear

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od beh

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o my neck in that familiar

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nding, to make sure it was closed an

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y, e

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o go b

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own r

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g me to my room, but now the crew was

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tart wondering if somet

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man and woman alone in a ro

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or, I caugh

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e. I'll stay a

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inded

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n, we b

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instant, and stormed out, the transfo

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after him. "The best exes act

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int

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ede

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then left e

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in

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de

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igh

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hings but didn't want

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would fawn over him ju

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in bed when there was a polite knock at the doo

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found Cayden s

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even more innocent, his large, clear e

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ks. I was too shy to bring them out during fil

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e, they tas

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everal vacuum-sealed packs of jerky, pretzels, and spiced nut

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efreshingly st

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from Yupl

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taking

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, looking

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e both Yupl

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this, drop the 'Ms. Stewart

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me that on

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sa

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actually my manager's idea – said I

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er first name feels, I don't

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at a loss

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d and patted

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rry. The 'boy-next-door' i

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glimpse of someone peering around the corner.

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door, I shook my

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ly sneaking arou

2

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en for who knows how long, I

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Braeden and I first moved in together. He'd been so awkwa

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et he'd stubbornly insisted he was c

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er than his self-doub

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hen, just as things were heating up, he'd stopped. Hove

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w why, but I suddenl

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was alrea

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peech

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crying? Was his rea

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ing over the horizon, feeling disor

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up, I headed out for a mo

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retching, a familiar voice b

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d, jogging up beside m

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idn't sleep

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aid "either"

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licated history. Insomnia often gr

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metimes even lash out, though he'd never hu

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yself, I fo

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point you, but

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jog, his messy hair b

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ine, you win.

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later, our runnin

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rookie Cayden

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outhful complexion glowing and

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pressi

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p st

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luck your

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mir

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jealous of my

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ed his arm around my elb

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to a halt, eyes fixed on

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pulled away and

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ere something I c

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eemed to gather his co

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ankle. Mind helping

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s guy could lie wit

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ould refus

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distant now that ev

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ting, I quickly offered my support, worrie

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limp looked convincing enough. If I weren't walking right next

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m, his phone buzzed with a call from th

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ed to delay filming so you

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g my eyes so hard th

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ld really pu

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raeden flopped onto the bed an

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o take

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le tirade, giving him a piece o

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gaze, his tone suddenl

2

pt well in ages. Just.

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self to outright deny him, but I l

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om the bed and movin

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bed, I'll take the c

2

w that he was, I felt torn and unable to cope. It felt like pa

2

we come

2

let it ge

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d start crying, I kept my head

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y bumped into someone, catching the

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's concerned face, his large, s

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you... did som

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ked s

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, he frowned and pushed past me, sto

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N

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ick

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bed hi

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oing rigid and his ears flushing pin

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aeden, you know? About how tragic it is that someo

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is industry is a mess, but if you stay

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miling shyly, looking al

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ge to tease him,

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tes after I retu

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rom Braeden

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ople who throw th

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y knew wha

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t too close to Cayden, or

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would probably throw anyone else

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how to give him t

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ll become what w

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n y