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Still There
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Let Me In Hollywood
XanderA little over an hour later, we were parking the car in an overpriced lot. I took her hand in mine and we found ourselves almost immediately absorbed in a crowd of people. After about an hour of mingling with the crowd, we broke off and found a small café for us to grab a snack and a drink.“I’m glad you and your dad are talking again. I hated thinking you guys were at odds because of me.”“We’re good,” she said. “Trust me. I don’t want to pry, but can you give me a hint about what happened between you and your dad?”“I was born,” I said dryly.“Stop,” she said. “For real, what happened? Were you especially rebellious in high school?”“Not really. I’m serious. I cannot name any one specific moment in my life that led to his dislike for me. It was kind of a gradual thing from the moment I was born. That is the honest truth.”“You are not a bad person,” she insisted. “I don’t get it.”“I truly believe it is because I didn’t want to go into the military. He had this idea in his he
Let Me In The Hurt
EvieWe were both avoiding what was really going on. I refused to acknowledge it. I wanted to pretend we were on a normal date for as long as possible. We laughed and played and joked with each other as we strolled over several blocks of Hollywood stars before heading to the museum.“I think this is all a little creepy,” I told him after a while.“You don’t like being surrounded by wax figures staring at you,” he teased.“It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.”He burst into laughter. “It is a little creepy. Cool but creepy. Do you want to check out some of the shops? We could go to the Dolby?”“Do you actually want to go shopping?” I questioned. I got the impression he was trying to make me happy, doing things that he thought I wanted to do as a way to appease me. I didn’t need appeasing.“I don’t mind browsing,” he answered.It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic answer, but I would go with it. We spent a few more hours doing absolutely nothing except walking around and seeing all there was
Let Me In Just a Distraction
Evie“That isn’t my intention.”“Just say what you need to say,” I murmured. It was better to get it over with.“I’m not in a position to be with anyone.”I rolled my eyes. “Because?”“You know me. I’m not good at this kind of thing. I’m not good at relationships in general. The one person in this world that I truly cared about is gone.”He may as well have slapped me. It hurt. His words tore at my heart. “I see,” I said, nearly choking on the words.“Kade got me. He understood me. He was… well, he was the one person that I could say I had a meaningful relationship with. He’s gone. His death has turned me inside out. I can’t do this again. I can’t feel like this ever again.”“Grief?” I questioned. “That’s what you don’t want to feel again?”“No, I don’t. I can’t.”I slowly nodded. “I understand. Your solution to your situation is to avoid relationships so you never have to experience loss. You would prefer to be permanently be alone than to know love and maybe feel some pain.”“I gues
Let Me In The Last Person on Earth
XanderThis was probably one of the top ten dumbest things I had done in my life. In fact, it could be in the top five. I turned off the engine of my car but made no move to actually get out. I was still trying to talk myself into keeping the appointment I had made. I knew if I didn’t call and make an appointment, I would never actually follow through with it.I stared up at the building for several long minutes. I was a grown man. I was a successful, grown man. I should not be intimidated. I would not be intimidated. I could do this. I needed to do this. It wasn’t for me. It was for Charlie and his guys. One moment of humility would not kill me.I opened the car door and climbed out. My shoes felt like cement blocks as I made my way inside the building that was all too familiar. I followed the directions from the registry and made my way down the hall. I paused in front of his door and reviewed what I would say to the man that had tried to kill my dreams.“Fuck it,” I mumbled under m
Let Me In Signed in Blood
Xander“So, you can shoot it down again? Because you don’t trust me and my science?”He shrugged. “I don’t.”I didn’t care what his opinion was. I knew better than him, whether he thought I did or not. I was the guy that had changed the shipping industry. I was the guy that the ship owners trusted. At least, I used to be that guy. One failed meeting did not mean I didn’t know my shit.“It’s a way to keep rudders from being damaged. With my new design, rudders will last longer. It’s all very technical, and I can send you the plans if you think it would help you better understand, but in a nutshell, it’s good. It’s really good. This is just the beginning. With existing ships being retrofitted with the design, ship owners will save thousands on repair costs. Shipping lines are going to be running smoother with ships staying on the water where they belong. Lower operating costs mean better prices for everyone. It’s a good plan. It’s a great plan and I know it will work.”“You sound very—”
Let Me In Confronting Him
Evie The GPS instructed me to turn right. The roads were ridiculously narrow. I was glad I had gotten the economy car at the airport instead of the midsize I had my eye on. I wasn’t sure I could have navigated the roads with anything bigger than the tiny tin can I was driving.“I can’t believe you are actually doing this,” Nelle’s voice floated through the car via the Bluetooth.“I have to. This isn’t for me. This is me doing a public service.”“Don’t you mean you are doing this because you are hoping to fix him so you can have him?”“No. That is not what I am doing. Me and Xander are over but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about him.”She let out an audible sigh. “You have such a big heart.”“I have a normal heart.”“Why don’t you turn your little self around and drive back to the airport? Come home and let’s talk this through.”“I’ll be home soon. Once I do this, I’ll feel better. It will be closure for me. It will give me what I need to move on, and hopefully, he will be able to m
Let Me In Thinking About It
Evie“You!” I said a little louder than I meant to. “Your disapproval and refusal to give him just a little credit for a job well done has scarred him. I’m not trying to criticize your parenting, but I am asking you to open your heart just a little.”“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was probably just making the situation worse. “He lost his brother, the only person he thinks loved him in this world. You lost your wife and a son, but you still have a son who needs you.”“Thank you for reminding me of all that I’ve lost,” he said.Coming to Oregon was stupid. I shouldn’t have interfered. “You have lost a lot. I cannot imagine what that is like. Kade was a wonderful man. I felt his loss and I barely knew him. You and Xander are both suffering. If you two could lean on each other, it would make things so much more bearable.”“Why are you doing this?” he asked.“Doing what?”“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be talking to Xander? You’re his girlfriend
Let Me In For the Future
XanderI was back. It wasn’t intentional. I told myself it was because my boat was here. That was all. I wasn’t back in Oregon because I felt drawn to the place. It was just the boat.Running away from home was not all it was cracked up to be. I missed Evie. I missed my house. I missed San Diego. I was a mess. I knew that. I was hot and cold, up and down, and everything in between.My head was a mess. I wanted Evie. I wanted her more than I wanted anything else. I just couldn’t bring myself to commit to living there. Being away from home had given me a sense of freedom I didn’t know I was missing. My life had been so focused for so long, I didn’t realize I wasn’t really living. Everything with Kade and Evie made me rethink everything I had ever believed.I debated opening a beer. It was early afternoon, but I was on vacation. At least that was what I was telling myself. I was on an indefinite vacation. I heard my phone ringing and ignored it. But what if it was Evie? I scrambled into
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