“I don’t like depending on other people,” I replied softly, laying down beside him so we were almost nose to nose. His dark brown eyes had a sheen of tears to them, making my heart twist and break just a little bit. “I learned really early on that I couldn’t depend on anyone. That includes staying somewhere I’m not paying rent. And no… dating or fucking doesn’t count. I use my body as part of my job; if I’m going to be on even footing in a relationship, there needs to be something besides an exchange of my body for something else. I need to have some kind of control beyond whether or not I
...more
