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.I flashed him my badge and told him my reason for my visit before he buzzed me in and I made my way back to Becca’s office.Becca skimmed her fingers along a piece of paper as I stood in her office doorway, silently watching her.I knocked lightly and jumped when I was greeted by a barking dog.“Oh shit,” I whispered.Becca began to giggle."Did she scare you?" she asked as a Golden Retriever stuck her head out from underneath her desk."Just a little.""This is Lilly.She’s my eyes.""Well, it's nice to meet you, Lilly," I said."Go ahead girl, you can go and say hello."The dog got up to greet me and I bent down to pet her."She's a sweetheart.""Yes, she is.She's my baby.Aren't you, girl?" She perked up at the sound of Becca's voice and went running over to her with her tail wagging back and forth."Since it was such a nice day, I decided to walk to work, so Lilly had to come with me to help me get here." I bit my lip, still having such a hard time grasping the fact that she was blind."So would you mind stopping off at my place to drop her off before we grab a bite to eat?""No problem."She reached down on the floor and moved her hand around until she located her briefcase, grabbing all the papers that were written in braille from her desk.I was amazed by how well she had adapted to everything without her sight.She grabbed Lilly's leash, feeling around for the latch on her collar."Ready?" she asked, grabbing onto her briefcase with one hand and Lilly’s leash with the other.Her apartment was right up the street from her office.I watched as she unzipped her purse and grabbed the key ring.I was readying myself to help her insert the key into the lock, but stopped myself when I saw her do it with ease."I just want to feed her dinner and get her some water before we go."“No problem.” I stood in the middle of her living room as she maneuvered her way through the tiny kitchen like she had twenty-twenty vision."Do you mind if I change really quick?" she asked after she took care of Lilly."No, go right ahead.""Have a seat, if you aren't already." She smiled."I'm good."She walked off to her bedroom as I began taking everything in her apartment in.It was decorated to perfection and part of me wondered why she needed all of the elaborate paintings and portraits that were hanging on her wall if she couldn’t see them.My eyes skimmed over them and my heart sank when I saw the one hanging over her sofa.The same one that I had hanging in my apartment.The one that Becca had made for me all those years ago.I moved closer, examining the details of that star filled sky that had been so beautifully captured on canvas.It was filled with so much intricate detail and was almost identical to mine with the exception of the moon.She had put her whole heart and soul into those paintings.I closed my eyes, remembering the night that she had given it to me.I was speechless, especially when she explained the symbolism of the moon, making me feel like total shit for lying to her and leading her to believe that I was someone that I wasn’t.The only thing I wasn’t lying about back then were my feelings for her.Every emotion.Every kiss.Every touch was real.Becca Keeton made me feel things that no other woman ever had been able to make me feel before or after I had met her."I'm ready," she said, walking out of her room."Do you mind if I use you to help me out a little? I'm perfectly fine in here but once I get outside, I get a little lost.""Oh, not at all," I said, walking over to her and looping my arm in hers.It felt so good being this close to her again.We walked out of her apartment building and I flagged down a taxi."Do you like Italian?" I asked, already knowing the answer."Love it," she replied as I helped her in the cab.I gave the driver the name of one of my favorite restaurants and we headed on our way."Sorry for making you wait so long.You must be really hungry by now.""Nah, it's all good," I said.I was finding that trying to make small talk with someone that you pretty much knew everything about was pretty hard.I was relieved when we finally arrived at the restaurant.I helped her out of the taxi and we headed inside.She opted to sit in the outside seating area and since it was such a nice night, I didn't object."Umm.I hate to be a pain but would you be able to tell me what is on this menu?" She smiled.I looked over the menu, finally locating her favorite."Pasta primavera -""Say no more.I'll take it!" she said, taking a sip of her wine.I smiled at her as I gazed into her eyes.She was still the same girl from all those years ago.I just wished that I was the same guy."So, Agent—""Mason," I Interrupted.She furrowed her brows."I'm sorry-what?""Call me Mason.That's my name."She nodded."Oh.Okay."“So Becca, do you have a boyfriend?” I blurted out.“Oh….um, no.” She shook her head, seeming a little embarrassed by the question.“No guy in their right mind would want to be burdened by me.”My heart sank to my knees.“What do you mean?”“Well, for instance, look what just happened now.I can’t even read my own menu.It’s like going out with a three year old.Sometimes I just feel so helpless and I would never place that load on anyone else.”“Are you crazy? You are a beautiful, intelligent girl with a great personality.”I was happy to see the remnants of a smile adorn her face.“Well thank you very much, Agent…I mean, Mason.But unfortunately, my perception of how others see me will always be tainted.”“I don’t see you that way, Becca, and I would love to take you out on a non-business date some time.”She began to fold her napkin and I could see she was feeling uneasy over the whole situation.“That’s so sweet of you.But trust me; my inability to see isn’t my only defect.” She shook her head and sucked in her bottom lip as she silently stared into space.She looked down at the table and began to speak again, totally changing the subject."I've gotten through half of the tapes so far and I'm just a little confused.How did you know that Mueller was involved with the Trent Roberts deal?"I couldn’t stand the pain in her eyes
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