His face was weathered and painful but he also looked kind and understanding. He was seated in an old leather-bound high-backed chair. In front of him... was a huge, old-world desk with a small relic of a lamp barely glowing any light. The room was dimly lit and dead quiet. The old gentleman had an oxygen tube under his nose and spoke in a raspy voice that told me he had seen healthier days. He spoke to me as though I was a dear friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. But he was also very formal,. She let out a startled sound and looked down at a blue-furred kitten who looked back up at her with ears pinned back. When she reached down to pet him, he ran off. Emily laughed. “Sorry. Devo has learned the joy of attacking ankles.”“You named him after the band?” Shelby asked.Emily made her way back into the living room with a Perrier in one hand. “I named him Scratch. Devo is short for ‘Devourer of Worlds and Prince of Lies,’ which he earned for eating like a pig, then lying to the staff and. I know it's overwhelming. If it's toomuch, we can stop."Lance looked at Zoey and wiped his tears away. "I'm trying to be morelike Simone. More like you. When you're overwhelmed, you don't stop. Youpush forward. You told me how overwhelmed you are with the whole collegeapplication thing. I don't see you quitting."Zoey sighed out of annoyance at the mention of her college aspirations."What?" Lance raised his eyebrow. "You haven't picked a college yet?" Ugh," Zoey grunted. "You too?" I remember. I looked at Sarina like she was putting me on. Several conspiracies ran through my head. I excused myself and ran upstairs. I entered into my bedroom to find my wife awake and looking at me. I was about to say something, when she spoke first, "Is that Sarina downstairs?" I nodded. My wife smiled at me and said, "I know you have the hots for her. And I mean this next part from the bottom of my heart. I love you very much, and I give you permission to fuck Sarina however and whenever you want..