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.But I froze when I heard the familiar clicking of Kyler’s fingers as he typed on the computer keyboard.I felt the heaviness of his book in my backpack.And then I knew I couldn’t leave.Kyler was giving me a chance at a different kind of life, and I’d be a fool not to take it.So I fought against the desperation I felt.I forced myself to stay in the bed, even when my need for the drug screamed inside of me and burned through my body.I endured the sweating and shaking until eventually morning came.The sun shone in the window, reminding me that it was a new day.Sitting up in bed now, I sniffed and wiped my nose.When I pulled my hand back it was covered in slick red blood.Shit.Nosebleed.Cupping my hand over my nostrils, I leapt out of bed.I made it to the door in two large strides and then quickly unlocked it.The minute I stepped into the hall I walked right into Kyler’s chest.My hands instinctually shot out, and I smeared blood on his white wife-beater tank.Holy crap.He was wearing nothing but a tank top and boxers.Didn’t the guy own real pajamas? Momentarily stunned, I stopped moving.Blood dripped from my nose, running down my face toward my chin.Shaking myself out of it, I reached up and held my nose again, trying to stop the blood from getting on my shirt.Since I only had two, I sort of needed this one to stay clean.“Oh, my god.Are you okay?” Kyler asked.“Fine,” I said in a nasally voice as I pinched my nostrils together.It’s not like this was the first time I’d had a nosebleed.When your hobby was snorting drugs up your nose, it’s sort of expected.“Here.We need to stop the bleeding now.” In one fluid movement, Kyler pulled off his tank top.My heart stopped, and I was pretty sure I ceased breathing.I always thought drugs would kill me, but now I was pretty sure Kyler’s body would.He gently pushed my hands away from my nose and held his tank top up to it.I caught a whiff of his woodsy scent as the thin material covered my nostrils.Kyler’s bare chest was right in my face, and for a writer who sat inside on his computer all day, it wasn’t half bad.“You’re ruining your shirt.” My voice was muffled.“It’s ok.I have more.” He pressed on my nose.“Am I hurting you?”I paused.Never before had a guy asked me that.Not in a concerned way, that is.“No,” I finally said, and I could feel my heart cracking open.My nose didn’t hurt, but my heart did.I had kept it closed off for so long, it was physically painful to allow someone else inside.I winced, trying to stop it.I didn’t even know this guy.How could I let him in? But even as hard as I fought it, I knew it was a losing battle.Kyler was slowly breaking me apart, one jagged piece at a time.Once Kyler drew the shirt away from my face it was soaked in dark red blood.There were few blood splatters on the floor near our feet, and the tips of our fingers were coated in it.“It looks like a crime scene in here,” I observed.“I’m so sorry.”“Don’t be.” He gave me a funny look.“It’ll be inspiration for the scenes I’m writing today.”“You’re writing about nosebleeds? Gross.Well, thanks for the warning.I will not be reading this book,” I teased, and Kyler smiled in response.Wrinkling my nose, I could feel the crusted blood drying on my face.“I better clean myself up.”Kyler nodded, holding the bloodied shirt in his fist, as I slipped into the bathroom.My reflection surprised me.Not because of the dried blood.No, I expected that.What I didn’t expect was the slight flush of my cheeks, the shine in my eyes.Kyler was changing me.After taking a shower and getting ready, I emerged from the bathroom.I glanced down at the floor in the hallway and saw that it had been cleaned.Kyler was in the kitchen making coffee, Edgar panting by his feet.All remnants of my earlier incident had vanished.I exhaled, and went to the kitchen.Without saying a word, Kyler pressed a mug of coffee into my palm.We had seamlessly gotten into a routine of sorts.Every morning we had coffee, then I played with Edgar while Kyler wrote.In the afternoon I would clean up around the house, and then we’d start dinner.Kyler liked to cook, and I didn’t have any experience with it so he was teaching me.I hoped to be able to prepare a meal for him soon without any help.It was the least I could do
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