h3 style="margin: 6.45pt 0in; font-size: 13.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; text-align: center; background: #f4effc; vertical-align: baseline;" align="center" span style="font-size: 15.5pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #2a2a2a; font-weight: normal;"Course Eight – Palate Cleanser/span/h3
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" They drove in silence all the way back to her room, he walked her up and she held open the door for him to come in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "You sure?" he asked. She nodded. She took off her hoodie and ran her hands through her hair which had fallen out of a ponytail sometime between hiding and saving Nathan's life. She got undressed and sat on her bed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "What are you doing?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Come here," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Don't you want to talk," he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "I keep thinking about what you said, about liking danger, let's see if you're right," she held out her hand to him and he walked over. He took off his trench coat and threw it over a chair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No," she said, "get the knife."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Careful," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Get it," she demanded. He did as she asked and brought it to her and held it out for her to take it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No, hold it to my throat," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He scoffed, "I will do no such thing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're the one that said I love danger, let's see if you're right, now do it," she shouted. He threw the knife down and put his hands on her neck shoving her down on the bed, "do you like this?" he seethed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She gasped for air and he let up a little, "yes," she whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""This is dangerous, with me I don't know if I will be able to stop," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I don't care," she said, and he choked her harder, she couldn't breathe so she tried to get his hands off her, but he wouldn't let go. She sat up gasping and she was still in the passenger seat of his car./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're awake," he said, driving beside her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Yea, now I am," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Bad dream?" he asked. She put her hand to her throat and rubbed, she was still in shock./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I-I don't remember," she lied. The dream had shaken her to her core, first of all because she was terrified, but also because she had liked it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Well how do you feel now?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Sleepy," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""We should talk," he said, she nodded, and he looked at her, she looked out the window and refused to look at him, "my Bella, don't you want to ask the beast 'why?'" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She sighed, "I thought you said there wasn't a reason."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""There is always a reason… there isn't an excuse, but there is a reason," he said. He drove them to a part of the beach on the bay, he parked right on the sand. They got out and walked along the beach and talked. He started at the beginning when the Nazis had taken over the castle and forced them into hiding, he finished with the man in Canada, his last kill./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "So, every person you have killed was a Nazi?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "So far," he said. She looked at him for a sign he was joking but saw none, she shivered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Hannibal, you can't keep doing this," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Are you not going to turn me in?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" She stopped walking and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking from the cold, or the fear. She turned to look at him, "I'm not turning you in, I get it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "How could you get it, you wouldn't even let me hurt the man who attacked you," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "You know what the scary part was?" she asked, he shook his head no like he'd never been scared in his life. She continued, "I could understand you being mad at Nathan, I mean look at what he's done, but you weren't, you felt nothing, you were so phlegmatic."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Good word," he said. She tilted her head at him, he laughed, "I shouldn't joke."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No, it's not funny, you were calm, serene even like you were in a soothing bath," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "And you expected me to be angry," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Do you feel… anything?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "What are feelings? Emotions? I choose what to feel," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She squinted at him, "is that even possible?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""When I need to, I can control my emotions to get things done," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""What about love," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He smiled, "love is more than emotion, it's a collection of unknowable things, it's a choice and yet not a choice, it's admiration and knowing someone intimately."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Can you promise me you will stop, for me?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I let him go didn't I?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""If I hadn't been there…" she started./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Stop, you know me now, you've glimpsed the dark side, if you want to leave or even have me imprisoned, I won't hold it against you, but you keep asking me to explain myself but I already have, now it's up to you to decide if my past is a deal breaker," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She bit her lip and her chin started to quiver, "can I think about it?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Of course," he said putting his hands behind his back and turning to walk back toward the car. She followed and they got in and he drove her back to her dorm. He stopped on the street, waiting for her to get out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're not coming in?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""It's late," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""What if Nathan is here waiting for me?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""And what would you have me do? You don't want me to hurt him," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Self-defense is different," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He sighed, "what about self-defense prior to the act of offense? Is that not what I was doing? Protecting you by making sure you never had to be scared of him again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She bit her thumbnail, unsure how to argue with that. She looked ahead trying to think of a way to keep being with him because she was scared he would go after Nathan again./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I'm hungry," she said, he grinned at her because what she was doing was obvious./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Nothing is open at this hour," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Fast food," she said, he grimaced, and she laughed, "come on, after everything you told me you're acting like you won't eat a burger and fries?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He looked at her like he couldn't understand her being so casual about what he had done in Europe. She couldn't believe it either, but she was trying to figure out how to process it all. He sighed and took off driving again. He got her a meal at a drive-thru and parked in the parking lot to let her eat. He hadn't gotten anything. He sat there staring out the window as she ate what he called 'garbage'. She picked up a fry and held it in his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He looked at her like she couldn't possibly expect him to eat it and she laughed, "come on… it's French." He tried not to laugh but couldn't stop himself, he rolled his eyes then took a bite and chewed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Well?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Terrible," he said smiling, she laughed. He leaned over and put his hand on her chin and pulled her to him, his face as nearly touching hers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You know my favorite thing to eat?" he whispered. She didn't try to guess because she knew what he meant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You think you can use your charm to reel me back in that easily?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He traced her jawline with the tip of his finger, his lips were grazing hers as he spoke, "we both know that you have an insatiable appetite for getting fucked by me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She whimpered and pushed her lips to his desperately. They started kissing and she almost dropped her cheeseburger off her lap. She pushed him away so she could catch it. It took her out of the moment enough for her to control her urges. /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You should take me home," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Yours or mine?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""We have class in the morning," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I just ate a deep-fried potato stick for you," he teased./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She smiled, then sighed shaking her head, "I just need more time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Alright," he said and drove her back to her dorm, this time he walked her up and kissed her forehead before he left./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She cried herself to sleep./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" They drove in silence all the way back to her room, he walked her up and she held open the door for him to come in./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "You sure?" he asked. She nodded. She took off her hoodie and ran her hands through her hair which had fallen out of a ponytail sometime between hiding and saving Nathan's life. She got undressed and sat on her bed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "What are you doing?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Come here," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Don't you want to talk," he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "I keep thinking about what you said, about liking danger, let's see if you're right," she held out her hand to him and he walked over. He took off his trench coat and threw it over a chair./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No," she said, "get the knife."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Careful," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Get it," she demanded. He did as she asked and brought it to her and held it out for her to take it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No, hold it to my throat," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He scoffed, "I will do no such thing."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're the one that said I love danger, let's see if you're right, now do it," she shouted. He threw the knife down and put his hands on her neck shoving her down on the bed, "do you like this?" he seethed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She gasped for air and he let up a little, "yes," she whispered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""This is dangerous, with me I don't know if I will be able to stop," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I don't care," she said, and he choked her harder, she couldn't breathe so she tried to get his hands off her, but he wouldn't let go. She sat up gasping and she was still in the passenger seat of his car./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're awake," he said, driving beside her./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Yea, now I am," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Bad dream?" he asked. She put her hand to her throat and rubbed, she was still in shock./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I-I don't remember," she lied. The dream had shaken her to her core, first of all because she was terrified, but also because she had liked it./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Well how do you feel now?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Sleepy," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""We should talk," he said, she nodded, and he looked at her, she looked out the window and refused to look at him, "my Bella, don't you want to ask the beast 'why?'" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She sighed, "I thought you said there wasn't a reason."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""There is always a reason… there isn't an excuse, but there is a reason," he said. He drove them to a part of the beach on the bay, he parked right on the sand. They got out and walked along the beach and talked. He started at the beginning when the Nazis had taken over the castle and forced them into hiding, he finished with the man in Canada, his last kill./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "So, every person you have killed was a Nazi?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "So far," he said. She looked at him for a sign he was joking but saw none, she shivered./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Hannibal, you can't keep doing this," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Are you not going to turn me in?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" She stopped walking and wrapped her arms around herself, shaking from the cold, or the fear. She turned to look at him, "I'm not turning you in, I get it."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "How could you get it, you wouldn't even let me hurt the man who attacked you," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "You know what the scary part was?" she asked, he shook his head no like he'd never been scared in his life. She continued, "I could understand you being mad at Nathan, I mean look at what he's done, but you weren't, you felt nothing, you were so phlegmatic."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Good word," he said. She tilted her head at him, he laughed, "I shouldn't joke."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "No, it's not funny, you were calm, serene even like you were in a soothing bath," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "And you expected me to be angry," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "Do you feel… anything?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" "What are feelings? Emotions? I choose what to feel," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She squinted at him, "is that even possible?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""When I need to, I can control my emotions to get things done," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""What about love," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He smiled, "love is more than emotion, it's a collection of unknowable things, it's a choice and yet not a choice, it's admiration and knowing someone intimately."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Can you promise me you will stop, for me?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I let him go didn't I?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""If I hadn't been there…" she started./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Stop, you know me now, you've glimpsed the dark side, if you want to leave or even have me imprisoned, I won't hold it against you, but you keep asking me to explain myself but I already have, now it's up to you to decide if my past is a deal breaker," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She bit her lip and her chin started to quiver, "can I think about it?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Of course," he said putting his hands behind his back and turning to walk back toward the car. She followed and they got in and he drove her back to her dorm. He stopped on the street, waiting for her to get out./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You're not coming in?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""It's late," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""What if Nathan is here waiting for me?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""And what would you have me do? You don't want me to hurt him," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Self-defense is different," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He sighed, "what about self-defense prior to the act of offense? Is that not what I was doing? Protecting you by making sure you never had to be scared of him again?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She bit her thumbnail, unsure how to argue with that. She looked ahead trying to think of a way to keep being with him because she was scared he would go after Nathan again./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I'm hungry," she said, he grinned at her because what she was doing was obvious./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Nothing is open at this hour," he said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Fast food," she said, he grimaced, and she laughed, "come on, after everything you told me you're acting like you won't eat a burger and fries?"/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He looked at her like he couldn't understand her being so casual about what he had done in Europe. She couldn't believe it either, but she was trying to figure out how to process it all. He sighed and took off driving again. He got her a meal at a drive-thru and parked in the parking lot to let her eat. He hadn't gotten anything. He sat there staring out the window as she ate what he called 'garbage'. She picked up a fry and held it in his face./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He looked at her like she couldn't possibly expect him to eat it and she laughed, "come on… it's French." He tried not to laugh but couldn't stop himself, he rolled his eyes then took a bite and chewed./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Well?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Terrible," he said smiling, she laughed. He leaned over and put his hand on her chin and pulled her to him, his face as nearly touching hers./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You know my favorite thing to eat?" he whispered. She didn't try to guess because she knew what he meant./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You think you can use your charm to reel me back in that easily?" she asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"He traced her jawline with the tip of his finger, his lips were grazing hers as he spoke, "we both know that you have an insatiable appetite for getting fucked by me."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She whimpered and pushed her lips to his desperately. They started kissing and she almost dropped her cheeseburger off her lap. She pushed him away so she could catch it. It took her out of the moment enough for her to control her urges. /p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""You should take me home," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Yours or mine?" he asked./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""We have class in the morning," she said./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""I just ate a deep-fried potato stick for you," he teased./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She smiled, then sighed shaking her head, "I just need more time."/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;""Alright," he said and drove her back to her dorm, this time he walked her up and kissed her forehead before he left./p
p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"She cried herself to sleep./p