p class="MsoNormal"strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"CHAPTER 8/span/strong/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"AN: Sorry that this is such a short one but there is one right after it so you won't be missing out. It just felt like an appropriate place to end the chapter./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Please…can I hold you?' /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"The words escaped from Eric's mouth before he could stop them. He sounded like a baby and he hated it. But she was here, she was really here in front of him, fighting back her own tears, trying to make sense of it all. He caused this./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'I..I don't know if that would be a good idea. With the way things are.'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'You don't believe me. You think I sent a man to em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"rape you/em so that we could meet'. He spat the words that she had refused to speak, maybe even refused to think, and it was her undoing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"She ran at him, wailing like a banshee, hitting at him feebly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Shhh, shhh. Let it out Christine' he whispered, though she was still wailing and fighting him. It didn't hurt, but it was agony./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'I…just…wanted…to havespan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span-' hiccup- 'fun…for once –' hiccup. 'But…I guess…-sniff-' I was easy prey….'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Christine I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it, you weren't ready. I'll go'. He gently lifted her arms off his chest, where they were now resting, pushing his back into the sink a little. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"She hiccupped and sniffed again, then shook her head and removed herself from him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't'–sniff- 'I shouldn't have accused you of that. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault that that man decided to drug me and try to…try to rape me.'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"A noise behind the two made them turn around in a kind of weary alarm, both of them exhausted from their heartache./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Christine?! Why didn't you tell me?' Meg, Christine's housemate looked shocked and hurt, a hand to her mouth. A short-ish blonde man with glasses was also unfortunately right behind her and said nothing, only clenched his jaw tightly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"Eric swallowed, not caring that he had just cried./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"While Meg started ratting at Christine for not telling her what was going on in her life anymore, Eric quietly washed a couple of mugs that were lying in the sink. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"They were still arguing – or more, Meg was still talking, - when he silently slipped out of the room, and back to his own house. Alone, where he belonged/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"AN: Sorry that this is such a short one but there is one right after it so you won't be missing out. It just felt like an appropriate place to end the chapter./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Please…can I hold you?' /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"The words escaped from Eric's mouth before he could stop them. He sounded like a baby and he hated it. But she was here, she was really here in front of him, fighting back her own tears, trying to make sense of it all. He caused this./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'I..I don't know if that would be a good idea. With the way things are.'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'You don't believe me. You think I sent a man to em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"rape you/em so that we could meet'. He spat the words that she had refused to speak, maybe even refused to think, and it was her undoing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"She ran at him, wailing like a banshee, hitting at him feebly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Shhh, shhh. Let it out Christine' he whispered, though she was still wailing and fighting him. It didn't hurt, but it was agony./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'I…just…wanted…to havespan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span-' hiccup- 'fun…for once –' hiccup. 'But…I guess…-sniff-' I was easy prey….'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Christine I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it, you weren't ready. I'll go'. He gently lifted her arms off his chest, where they were now resting, pushing his back into the sink a little. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"She hiccupped and sniffed again, then shook her head and removed herself from him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't'–sniff- 'I shouldn't have accused you of that. It's not your fault. It's not anyone's fault that that man decided to drug me and try to…try to rape me.'/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"A noise behind the two made them turn around in a kind of weary alarm, both of them exhausted from their heartache./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"'Christine?! Why didn't you tell me?' Meg, Christine's housemate looked shocked and hurt, a hand to her mouth. A short-ish blonde man with glasses was also unfortunately right behind her and said nothing, only clenched his jaw tightly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"Eric swallowed, not caring that he had just cried./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"While Meg started ratting at Christine for not telling her what was going on in her life anymore, Eric quietly washed a couple of mugs that were lying in the sink. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;"They were still arguing – or more, Meg was still talking, - when he silently slipped out of the room, and back to his own house. Alone, where he belonged/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%;" /span/p
