“Here,” I said, shoving the board into his hands. He started laughing.“WHAT are you laughing at?!” I demanded irritably.“Well, it’s just that… that’s going to hurt a bit, my dear. Go on, bend over. I’ll demonstrate.”

“It’s really over, isn’t it?”He laughed and pulled me into his lap. “That’s the beauty of it all. Nothing’s over. It’s just a new start.”

“It's just . . . I'd like you to find some nice guy with no weird fuckin' baggage."I had to laugh. My irritation vanished, and I reached over to pat his hand. "If you ever meet one," I said, "let me know.”

“I haven’t heard you laugh like that in quite a while. I was glad to hear it. I’m tired of seeing you in pain.” he said. “I’m going to do my best to keep you from ever hurting again. That’s a promise,” he said, softly.I believed him. I leaned over to give him a kiss.“I love you,” he said once we’d separated. “Now let’s go home.”

“He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not here to start trouble. I am just doing some research for my thesis.”“If you don’t get out of this bar, you are going to be writing your thesis via Ouija board.”

“I’ll cover your mouth with one hand to muffle any noise you make, I promise.” I couldn’t help it. I laughed. Shane was giggling too as he said, “Guess that’s not very romantic, huh?”"Not really. It’s oddly kinda hot, but, no, not very romantic.”“Fair enough.” Shane flopped over on his back, still snickering.”