76. The Final Phone Call

“But I love you so much,” she said. “ think I must be crazy. I can’t stop about you. I want to be with you the time. I want to marry you.”
“Maybe are a little crazy,” he said. “Although I that’s part of being in love. But you know me. I like you, but I’m not love with you. I don’t think I could be in love with you.”
“Why not?”
“I ’t know,” he lied. “You’re not my type.”
“I’m your type,” she repeated. “What is your type? woman with no wrinkles and a perfect body? woman who is beautiful even when she wakes ? A movie star? Is that your type?”
“No, course not,” he lied again. “I don’t know. ’m like everybody else—you’re either attracted to a certain or you’re not.”
“So you’re not attracted to ?”
“Well, I didn’t say that,” he lied a time.
“I’m making a fool of myself. You even be laughing at me. You don’t love . You just said that you never could love .”
“No, I said I could never be IN with you,” he said.
“‘Love,’ ‘in love.’ What does it make any more? I apologize. It nice of you to put up with me. forgive me for making a fool of myself for bothering you. I will never call you . I must try to forget you now. I dropping out of school tomorrow; I can’t go without thinking of you. My heart is so .”
She hung up. Alan walked outside. What was supposed to do? He liked her, but he didn’t love her. Lead her on with lies, tell her the truth now?
There was a full moon. But he felt sad. He knew Natalie was probably crying right now. She must so lonely.




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