LN Cronan

I think that once Arnoldo sees that Gideon forgave Eva, and that Gideon is so happy with Eva -- the way Gideon started out that night of the concert, then Arnoldo will forgive her too. Arnoldo thought Eva was great right on up to the moment she did something really stupid that hurt Gideon really badly. Arnoldo saw with his own eyes Eva could complete Gideon or destroy him. Â And unfortunately, right now (i.e. where Reflected left off) Arnoldo is probably still furious at Eva and saying "good riddance to bad trash." Last he saw of Eva, he was getting out of the limo and was thinking at the time Angus was driving Eva straight home. Arnoldo chewed Eva out and then watched the limo drive away. Â Fast forward to the very next time Arnoldo saw Gideon -- Monday, when Gideon arrived at Arnoldo's restaurant on a "date" with Corrine. And knowing Gideon well, Arnoldo would have been able to read Gideon's body language enough to something was really eating Gideon badly. (Of course, Arnoldo wouldn't have known a thing about the truth -- Nathan had Gideon now terrified.) Â P.S. I think Magdalene and Arnoldo actually could end up as a couple. They're both single. They both have a very good, very old mutual friend - Gideon.

God, there's so much good stuff in that scene where Eva and Gideon made love for the second time. It was so good for him, because this time he wasn't anxious. And so afterward, he was so happy. Â But ..... Â Just hours earlier, he'd asked Eva to give him some room to screw up as he learned how to do something he'd never done before: have a real relationship like what he wanted with her. This is what he dreamed about. And only a few hours into it, he screwed up for the first time. He ought not to have taken her to his f*** pad. Â And no, Corrine didn't count, because it wasn't a real loving relationship, only a dysfunctional situation that dragged on way too long. Â Poor Eva. Still smarting from all those insecurities -- the buttons Magdalene had lit up on Saturday night -- started raging again. Eva felt cheap and used. Felt like just another one of Gideon's lays, the latest notch on his belt. Â Thank God he knew he screwed up, went after her this time, and did the absolute right thing: take her home with him. That's where he ought to have taken her all along, because she was his girlfriend and lover, not just another sex partner. But poor Gideon -- terrified most of all of being in a situation where he would literally sleep with a woman, as in fall asleep together in the same bed, and then have a nightmare that would send a woman running away in disgust. He took an incredible risk by letting Eva stay the night.

 I haven't read Seven Years to Sin, but from what I understand, it's also about two abuse survivors, and I imagine it shows some things about what makes a man like Gideon tick. I'm glad Sylvia ran with that concept into the modern era, because we live in an era  where medical techniques people couldn't have even dreamed about centuries ago now exist. Including techniques in the field of mental health. Much more knowledge exists now about the lasting effects of serious abuse -- and about ways to help abuse survivors.  Some people are blessed to heal almost on their own, though the positive influences life can give to counter the negative. That's been true throughout humankind, and it still is true today. However, also true is that most people carrying around deep wounds have a much better shot at healing if they get skilled help (treatment) to move forward.

Already got my favorite part of Chapter Nine picked out. It's actually a two-fer: Eva whispers something to Gideon about what she wants to do that night ... and ... oh boy. Â Eva: "I want you missionary style the first time. I've been having this fantasy of you on top, banging the h*** out of me." Â Gideon: "Eva, you have no idea." Â Hah!!!! She had no idea that for a solid week now, Gideon has been fantasizing about just that - Eva underneath him and him banging her like crazy. From the instant he first laid eyes on her, that's exactly what he wanted: him on top, dominating her and holding her down. That whole work week he spent pestering her .... well, at the time the only way Gideon thought he could come. Â The limo ride rocked his world by making him come the hardest he ever had ... he'd had sex in a way he didn't think was possible. (Plus, only later in hindsight would he have realized he'd been made love to and had made love in return for the first time in his life.) Â Sure, they'd joked in his office during lunch (Chapter Eight) about the things they'd do to one another some time soon right there in his office. But when they had penciled "mind blowing sex" into their calendars for after work, we know that the whole time, Gideon was thinking about what he was gonna do when he got Eva undressed Monday evening - pin her down on the bed and nail her.

 Loved that part -- even she was crying over them. Is it any wonder we do

 We're definitely going to learn more about Ireland -- we heard that from Sylvia herself in a new interview that hit the Internet yesterday.  The interview is on the fan site of actor Henry Cavill. He's the guy that Sylvia wants to play Gideon if (when, we all pray!!!) Lionsgate, that has bought the film rights to Crossfire, makes any TV movie or miniseries.  One of the questions she answered in the interview was about Gideon's family -- specifically about what was the problem with his brother, Christopher -- is it jealousy?  Here's her answer, which mentioned Ireland by name: "All of the Crossfire characters are complex. As the series progresses, we’ll see deeper into the layers of characters such as Christopher, Monica, Stanton, Elizabeth, Ireland … That’s one of the reasons why the series couldn’t be completed in three — or less — installments. Not only do Eva and Gideon have a lot of ground to cover, but the secondary characters have issues to be dealt with as well."  The link to the interview was posted on this site yesterday, but I'll add the link below so that no one has to dig back into the threads (which are getting pretty long as we're getting increasingly excited about the approach of Entwined. http://henrycavill.org/en/exclusive/interviews-articles/item/405-crossfire-series-writer-sylvia-day-talks-writing-and-henry-cavill  Most of the interview is about Cavill as an actor (it is his fan site, after all) and about Sylvia as a novelist. But the piece does include some specifics about the unfolding Crossfire saga. Well worth reading -- especially the very last paragraph. Guaranteed to make the fans here go "oh, that's so incredibly sweet."

Gideon promised Eva he'd talk to Magdalene so that moving forward, Magdalene would not be a problem. And it worked. It was a promise Gideon could keep. Because moving forward, Magdalene never did another openly-mean thing to Eva.  Especially after Magdalene caught Gideon and Eva "in the act" by walking in on them having sex at the Vidal estate. Even before Magdalene totally threw in the towel over Corrine, Magdalene threw in the towel over Eva. As she cried to that snake, Christopher, Magdalene admitted she believed Gideon was in love with Eva. I'm certain that the "talk" Gideon had with Magdalene the Monday he found out how vicious Magdalene had been to Eva convinced Magdalene that Gideon actually was serious about his brand new girlfriend, Eva. Then with her own eyes, Magdalene saw irrefutable proof.  I'll bet though that Magdalene still clung to some tiny hope that things would burn out between Gideon and Eva so that she (Magdalene) not Eva could fill the gaping hole in Gideon's heart -- the hole Magdalene firmly believed (wrongly) that Corrine opened up when Corrine left Gideon.  But then the final blow for Magdalene came when unexpectedly and after all those years, Corrine came running back to Gideon. Magdalene wised up that she never get Gideon now. If that sex tape between her and Christopher already wasn't a deal-breaker, well now Magdalene's chances were over forever, because Gideon had his soulmate. She had that part right. What she was wrong about is who had finally filled the hole inside Gideon. It wasn't Corrine -- it never was all those years ago and it would never be.

 And Mark was supportive of Eva's decision, especially because under the circumstances, she gave the best possible answer. She was a big girl who could take care of herself -- and she wasn't going to let anything make her quit her job.  The genuine concern Mark displayed, which came on top of already knowing he was in a long-term loving relationship with his partner, sealed the deal for me that Mark was a "good guy" character. Far too many ambitious junior-level executives, which Mark is, would have been furious at Eva. Here Mark had just been given an unbelievable opportunity to perform for one of the richest men in the world. The owners of the agency were literally shaking Mark's hand. If Mark did well on this project, Cross Industries could become a major client giving millions of dollars in business to Waters Field & Leaman.  But just like Cary, Mark instantly saw through the situation. The whole reason Mark got picked for the project was Gideon wanted to get into Eva's pants. Mark sided with Eva, not Gideon. Mark put his heart ahead of his ambition.

Chapter A Day Re-Read Project - Today is Chapter Nine of Bared  This chapter unfolds Monday evening (day eight of the story).  Key plot developments: Eva and Gideon make love for the second time - and for the first time as a full-fledged couple. This time, the place is of Gideon's choosing - a hotel. But it turns out he'd been using the hotel room he had all set up as a f*** pad. Eva finds out -- and she runs away.  Sometime after each of us finishes reading this chapter, Sylvia would like to read our favorite quotes or paragraphs. No time limit on posting them. Forum discussions about the chapters has been moving both forward and backward, as we connect how various threads of the story have unfolded.

Chapter Eight of Bared To You - The Readers Guide   This chapter starts Monday (day eight of the story) immediately where Chapter Seven left off -- noon in Gideon's office. The chapter ends with Eva and Gideon leaving work, together, that afternoon.  Key plot developments: One of the most important conversations Eva and Gideon have in Bared To You happens. He convinces her to become his girlfriend. Eva's boss, Mark, cautions her to be careful. He's afraid she'll quit her job if Gideon hurts her.  New characters: None in this chapter  How they got to this point, where she's had it and he wants it all. The timeline Back on Friday afternoon, Eva had agreed to have lunch with Gideon on Monday. She wanted some breathing room after having just ended up on his office couch. He wanted to talk after work on Friday. She insisted: Monday lunch. However, Gideon didn't wait until Monday to continue his "negotiations" and so he lured Eva to one of his nightclubs on Friday night. There, they reached a deal where he'd agree to spend some friendly time with Eva so that she'd feel comfortable about then going to bed with him. They both were clear - it wouldn't be dating. But then on Saturday, Gideon got Eva to agree to be his date to a high society event, a fundraiser they both were already scheduled to attend. Eva seduced him in the back of his limo. Then he treated her badly the rest of the night, including ditching her to leave alone early. On top of that, Eva found out Gideon had long history of ditching women he f**** because he loses all respect for them. Sunday, Eva avoided Gideon's attempts to reach her, and she used Cary as a sounding board. She concluded Gideon was one of those jerks who would say anything to get laid. By Monday, she had decided Gideon was bad news and needed to be cut off. She tried to get out of having lunch with him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. He was really sorry about what happened, and he wanted to talk in his office over a privately-catered lunch for two. So Eva went up there -- but she had no intention of talking things over. She told him point blank she didn't want to see him anymore.  Talking things over -- and becoming a real couple Eva's side of the argument: the "strangers with benefits" deal wasn't going to work for her, and what happened Saturday was a mistake. How he behaved proved he had no interest in being on a friendly basis. They'd already hit a dead end because of his head trip. And even the best sex can screw up people's minds when sex partners are bad for one another. Gideon's assertions: The mistake Saturday was how he handled it afterward. He was used to being in control and what happened in the limo blew that. He couldn't handle it at the time, because it was something he'd never experienced before. But now he wanted that -- wanted Eva, wanted everything. He now wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, in and out of bed. The turning point: he convinced her he meant it - he wants a real relationship. Something he admited he's never had before. All he asked for was for her to agree to cut him some slack when he screws up while he's learning how to be a boyfriend. All his apologizing and pleading worked - Eva went with her heart instead of her head, agreeing to becoming a real couple.  Making some things clear up front They both agreed a condition to this relationship is they will be sexually exclusive with one another. Eva expressly warned him she has insecurity and self-esteem issues, so he needed to think about whether he really wants to deal with that. "I'm a very jealous person. I can be irrational with it," she told him. (Page 118). She explicitly told him she has a problem with Magdalene. Magdalene had already told him she and Eva met Saturday night -- but nothing about what really happened. Eva recounted almost word for word what Magdalene claimed, " ... you don't respect the women you f*** and that the moment you shoved your d*** into me you were done with me." (page 117). His reaction is what we readers would come to learn is a sign he's angry: he turned icy. Gideon promised he'd talk to Magdalene and make sure that moving forward, Magdalene would not be a problem.  What else happened in this chapter: They made plans for after work: they'll go to the gym, then they'll go to bed together. But first, they'll buy Eva a new cell phone. Gideon learned Eva's mother has literally, not figuratively, been stalking Eva, tracking her movements via Eva's cell phone.  For the first time, he called Eva "Angel." In return, she called him "Dark and Dangerous." Back downstairs in her own office, Mark had a talk with her. Convinced Eva's going to end up hurt by someone like Gideon Cross, Mark makes very clear he'd hate to see her quit working in the Crossfire over it - she's a great assistant he doesn't want to lose. She vows nothing would get her to quit. The day ends with Eva and Gideon climbing into his chauffeured Bentley, on their way to his gym.

Mark didn't do anything wrong by expressing friendly concern -- most especially because his entire motive was to be supportive of Eva, to assure he that he wants her to keep working for him, no matter what. Everyone knew Gideon's reputation as a ladies man (even Monica had said that to Eva back on Saturday.) Â Had Mark tried to interfere by ordering Eva to stop seeing Gideon, that would have crossed a line. Also crossing a line would have been him indicating in any way she'd get fired once Gideon was done with her. Â By contrast, Gideon himself actually could have been accused of sexual harassment for his little "talk" with Eva right after that first presentation meeting, when he'd asked her to hang back for a moment while Mark went back to his office. Gideon now had a formal paid financial relationship that involved Eva - he was a client of her employer. Gideon tried to pry into her love life by demanding to know if she was sexually involved with someone else -- and he immediately and very crudely propositioned her. Â Not that I'm saying Eva ever would file a harassment complaint -- not some entry level person like her against a mogul like him. But the very serious differences in their positions of power made all the more serious the fact Gideon was pressuring her for sex and now had put her into a financial bind.

 It's not really "Eva's" file. It's "Nathan's criminal file" that spells out what he did -- and who he did it to.   Each different state in the United States has its own set of criminal laws and its own system of criminal courts. The vast, vast, majority of criminal cases are handled in state courts. So there's huge variations of what's contained in the actual file folders (and increasingly these days in the computer file) depending upon how each state keeps its files for cases.  However, there are some things that are universal in the criminal courts of every single state. Because even though each state has its own set of laws, the U.S. Constitution sets out certain rights that all criminal defendants must be given -- so all the criminal courts in all the states have to do some things the exact same way.  And one of those Constitutional rights .... which would apply to Eva's case regardless .... is the so-called right to face an accuser. If a case goes to trial and the victim testifies, his/her full name becomes part of the trial record. It's in the transcripts and mostly everything else.  In Nathan's case, Sylvia told us recently he was prosecuted as a juvenile. Unlike adult criminal cases, which absolutely must be handled in open courtrooms (another Constitutional right), juvie cases are handled behind closed doors, and the records are sealed from public view. But Eva's name will be all over those records, and if someone leaked the records to an outsider (like some unscrupulous media) it'd be out there.

OK, so why if Gideon sent Eva away in disgust the Friday night of the concert -- then why did he one week later sit down to a family dinner at her apartment? The two lead detectives in the case actually found him there. How could the defense explain that away when Detective Graves and her partner both take the stand to testify Gideon was at Eva's a week after he supposedly dumped her? Â Here's what a defense lawyer could get out of both detectives under cross-examination, stuff that could convince the jury that Gideon and Eva's relationship was on life support at that point -- and going down hill fast. Â Where was Gideon when the cops came in? Across the other side of the room, hardly looking at Eva. Â What happened when Eva almost fainted? Gideon just stood there while other people took care of Eva. He didn't even say anything to comfort her, let alone hold her like some man in love would do under the circumstances. Quite frankly, he was a total jerk the whole time. Â How about when you asked him in front of his supposed girlfriend where was he Thursday? Well, he didn't want to say, not in front of Eva and her father anyway. He did walk us out though, and once well out of earshot ... (well, whatever happened: either he immediately offered his alibi and then refused to say anything else, or he just promised he'd answer questions the next morning, with his lawyer beside him. Â So where was he on Thursday, anyway? At a work-related party. Â Was there someone there with him? Corrine Giroux. Â Your Honor, I'd like to introduce defense exhibit (number such and such) .... .... and then the jury gets to see that photo of Gideon with his arm around Corrine's waist, his lips almost touching her face, her laughing and obviously having a wonderful night out .... oh and the jury could find out that while Gideon was out partying with Corrine, Eva was sitting home with her roommate who had just gotten out of the hospital. Â Now really .... can you jurors believe Gideon still wanted Eva after that concert incident? Seriously?

 Through a parade of defense witnesses, they could make a good argument his reaction wasn't to be jealous of Brett -- it was to become furious with Eva for making a fool out of him. His brand new girlfriend cheated on him with some guy who technically works for Gideon. He attacked Brett out of wounded male pride, not jealousy. As for Eva, the defense could spin the story he was totally disgusted to find out who she really was. He made his bodyguard and a friend of his haul her away. In other words, he dumped her right on the spot. Couldn't even stand the sight of her anymore.  On one level, Eva did cheat -- in a moment of weakness driven by her own demons of insecurity, she did something to get even with Gideon over Corrine. No, she didn't f*** Brett. But she did make out with him. A part of her was still wracked with doubts -- maybe Gideon really did have a nooner with Corrine in his office that time. He was still hot for his ex-lover. Now, here was an ex-lover of Eva's, still hot for her. So she fooled around with him a little bit by passionately kissing him.  Gideon's not the only one who has done some really stupid things in their relationship. Eva has screwed up too. What she did with Brett was perhaps the worst thing she did to hurt Gideon. And Gideon's first reaction was to be disgusted with her -- he meant it when he told Angus and Arnoldo to get her out of his sight.  After he'd gotten the leash back on his temper (i.e. finally having hit/kicked Brett enough) he decided to punish Eva. When he had Angus bring her back, Gideon started off by treating her coldly, a lot worse than the cold way he'd treated her in the back of his limo right after they'd made love for the first time. Back then, Eva thought (wrongly) that Gideon probably thought she'd acted like a s***. But this time, it wasn't some headtrip of Gideon's for why he was cold -- because of the Brett incident, Gideon started off by actually treating her like one . Even she figured that out -- and accused him of treating her like a s***.  Fast forward to later that weekend, down in North Carolina, after they'd reconciled and become even closer. And started to talk about some serious things, including her own past. Eva told Gideon about the person she'd been back in the Brett days, back when she was still a mess, before real help she got from Dr. Travis changed her life. A recovering s*** is what she described herself as being.

 Technically, the jury could decide to let Gideon off. It's a very rare thing known as "jury nullification" -- the jury basically decides to ignore the evidence and the judge's instructions for their (the jurors) own reasons, and they decide to find a defendant not guilty.  It's really rare, but it does happen in real life. And here's the thing about the U.S. court system: if someone is acquitted, he/she cannot ever be prosecuted again on the same charge.  Nor can the prosecution appeal a "not guilty" verdict. The defense can (and often does) appeal guilty verdicts, but the prosecution cannot ever appeal an acquittal. The U.S. Constitution has very strong protections against "double-jeopardy" -- the government can't keep trying someone over and over and over again. The government gets one shot -- and the jury of ordinary citizens collectively is the group that decides "guilty" or "not guilty"  The main incentive for the defense to plea bargain a case is to get a less harsh punishment. The main incentive for the prosecution to plea bargain a case is to avoid the risk the accused will walk free forever if the prosecution loses the trial.

 Technically Victor couldn't get the records through official channels. He hasn't got a valid reason to see them -- because he's not officially working the case as an investigating officer.  BUT  While Nathan was still alive, none of the cops could get to see his records through official channels. Once he got murdered, though, suddenly the NYPD (and through them the DA's office) suddenly had access to the files. Could make copies. Could leak them to .... a fellow cop ....  Look at what Detective Graves did: leaked all sorts of stuff about a criminal investigation to Eva. What's to stop Graves from doing the same thing to Eva's father, hoping that Victor would be outraged at the thought Gideon was a murderer and would be willing to do what he (Victor) could to help ensure Gideon is brought to justice.  (Not that that'd work -- I think once Victor finds out the real truth, he'll thank Gideon for saving his little girl's life)

And yes, some people who would be leaking stuff technically would be doing something unprofessional, perhaps illegal. But for a lot of different motives -- good and bad -- people leak stuff to journalists. Journalists who protect the identities of sources. And some of whom would rather go to jail for contempt of court than reveal the name of a source. Â In real life when I was a journalist, I once worked on a story where some guy had applied to the police academy. Turned out he had a very serious juvenile criminal record. Technically that record was sealed, but some people knew about it. So someone with a very good motive for wanting the truth to come out that this would-be cop was not the squeaky clean person he claimed to be .... well ... let's just say the story got into my newspaper.Â

This also is why Monica freaked out about those seals -- she knew now that lots of insiders in the courts would be opening all the files for the homicide detectives. So suddenly the risk has gone way up that someone could leak stuff to reporters.Â

 It is possible. It's why Eva freaked out when she saw the gossip sites had seized on the story that Gideon Cross has a serious new girlfriend - Eva Trammel. She got scared about the fact that suddenly she was high profile. If someone went digging hard, the dirt could come out. There was a civil settlement (where Eva got $5 million in damages from Nathan's father) that would raise serious eyebrows. And a lot of people were involved in the child protective services investigation that ensued as soon as that emergency room exam proved beyond all doubt Eva had been being raped for some time now. Plus (we now know from what Sylvia posted in this forum recently) Nathan was criminally prosecuted in the juvenile courts.  This is why Eva felt compelled to tell Gideon about the deep, dark secret of Nathan. "It's a matter of public record, which has been sealed, but there are people who know the story .... you have a right to know this could come out and embarrass you." ` page 182 of Bared to You  Note: the fact Nathan is now deceased does not automatically make all the court records public -- i.e. no one could just walk into the courthouse(s) and ask for copies. However, normally even people inside the court clerks records offices of the court(s) involved couldn't just look into the files. The seals meant any access to any of Nathan's records needed extraordinary reason why. Him getting murdered is a huge reason for breaking open the files -- the detectives now have carte blanche to look at all the records.  So now a bunch of insiders, like cops and court clerks, are going to know what's inside those files. People capable of leaking them to reporters.

 Oh one thing to add .... how will Gideon and Eva know when it's finally safe to come out of hiding their relationship?  His defense lawyers will tell him the DA's office has decided to drop the case, because the detective's mistake forever ruined some of the most important evidence the prosecution had -- evidence they'll never get to use in court because it's ruined.  In other words: "We know he did it, but we'll never be able to prove it to a jury now, because some of our best evidence is gone. So we're dropping the case."Â

There's only one firm prediction theory I do have. After we've all read Entwined and are deep into the discussion thread, any of you fellow fans get to say either "you were right" or "you were wrong".  My theory is this: the reason the murder case will go away soon and probably for good was that Detective Graves questioned Eva without Eva's lawyer present. Graves f****** up very badly.  How I think it will unfold: It was only one question -- about the phone call Eva made to Gideon on Saturday. The answer Graves tricked out of Eva (by getting Eva to nod "yes") is proof Gideon never dumped Eva before Nathan died; Eva dumped Gideon after Nathan was killed. But Graves blew it, because she violated Eva's rights. So now the prosecution won't be able to build a good enough case to be able to bring it to trial. Because the motive side of the case is permanently ruined. The evidence Graves got is totally inadmissible in court.

 Come June 4, I'll be in an Entwined spoiler thread alternating between saying "I knew it!!! I saw it coming!!!" and "Boy am I eating some crow here. Some of my crazy theories were just that - crazy theories." I expect it'll be a combination of the two along with a lot of "OMG!!!! I can't believe how the (fill in the blank) storyline twisted. I never saw any of that coming!!!!"

OK, so I figured it out -- it's a just-released article of an interview Sylvia gave, written specifically for fans of actor Henry Cavill. Sylvia has become a big fan -- hands down, Cavill is her choice to play the role of Gideon in any movie or mini-series. She talks about some of the reasons why Cavill is her choice.  The online article is hot off the presses today on Henry Cavill's fan site. Here's the link to read it:  http://henrycavill.org/en/exclusive/interviews-articles/item/405-crossfire-series-writer-sylvia-day-talks-writing-and-henry-cavill  AND .....  The article does get into the Crossfire series a little bit. Probably the most important thing this article says about Crossfire is the series confirmation of what we've already been hearing: at this point, Sylvia expects Crossfire will be a five-book series -- and there's no schedule set yet -- yet -- on when books four and five will come out. She'll be able to better focus on Book Four after Entwined comes out a little over a month from now.  Also -- and this part is soooooo sweet, she talked about going back to writing about Gideon and Eva.  It’s easy to return to writing Gideon and Eva’s story, even after spending months crying over them, because I love them so much and I very much want them to find their happily ever after. I want them to get there sooner rather than later — they’ve already been through so much — and that’s only going to happen if I sit down and put the words on the page.

Ladies, I am NOT Sylvia Day. I wish I were her. She's an amazing author who has really captured my imagination. Plus after ten years of working hard as a romance novelist, she's turned into what she was destined to be - a famous best-selling author. What's more, between book sales and having sold the movie rights for Crossfire to a major film/TV studio, she's got fortune to go along with fame. Â I'm just a huge fan who also happens to be a writer -- a writer of a different sort, not a novelist. I write non-fiction for a living -- public relations these days, and in my last career as a newspaper reporter. Â So I love to organize information as I try to figure things out

My favorite part of Chapter Eight is: Â "I want to keep feeling the way I feel when I'm with you. Just tell me what I have to do. And give me some room to screw up. I've never done this before. There's a learning curve." ~ Gideon to Eva, Bared page 115. Â I picked this over some really hawt things for two important reasons. Â This is what convinced Eva that Gideon actually really did want her as a girlfriend. That he was serious about her and really sorry he screwed up on Saturday. Up until that point, all his pleading with Eva was falling on deaf ears. She was standing firm - he'd blown it and she doesn't want to see him anymore. Then he told her what he really wants -- he wants how good he feels when he's with her, he'll agree with any relationship conditions she has -- and she needs to just cut him a little slack, because he's learning for the first time how to be in a relationship. "Give me some room to screw up" was pretty prophetic, because he was going to keep screwing up. Between his own issues and the fact he'd never really been in love before, he'd keep screwing up. Mess up handling the problem of his nightmares. Seriously screw up the whole way he handled Corrine's reappearance in his life. Worst of all, screw up the way he handled the Nathan situation, start to finish.