My Girlfriend, The Grinch - Free Bonus
This chapter was previously available in A Very Wattpad Christmas. Some readers let me know that it was removed, so I am posting it here for those who are still interested in reading it. ❤️
GRAYSON
My girlfriend was a grinch.
Not in an I-want-to-ruin-Christmas sort of way, of course. It was more that she had this pessimistic, begrudging attitude that just didn't match with any kind of holiday spirit or jingle bell chorus. This afternoon alone, I'd caught her staring into the abyss with a slight frown at least twice. And then, when we'd begun to pack, she tried on at least ten outfits before giving up and shouting, "That's it! I'm not going."
But that was a lie. She was going.
Because Nessa might be a bit of a grinch, but her heart was anything but an empty hole. Like hell would she let her friends down. And for the last week, her best friend Madie had that glassy-eyed hopeful wonder look about her that I knew Nessa saw. And Beau had been bouncing around the apartment like a golden retriever before dinner. And Bren was...well, Bren was maybe just as broody and moody as my girlfriend. But still.
Yeah, she was going. We were all going. Finals were done for the semester, all of our bags were in the trunk, and somehow, I'd gotten stuck behind the wheel. Nessa sat shotgun beside me, searching for the first snowflake to hit the road. I swallowed a laugh, knowing she wanted an excuse to call this whole trip off.
"It's going to be fun," I reassured her beneath my breath so her friends wouldn't hear. Reaching over, I gave her thigh a squeeze. "I promise."
She exhaled, brown eyes flicking over to mine. "I know it will be. But we also could have fun back at the apartment. The empty apartment. The empty, warm apartment. I'm not built for snow, Grayson."
I chuckled, eying the tights she had on while my thumb inched beneath the hem of her cute little skirt. "You would be if you just wore some pants, Nessa."
"Pants are not my thing."
My lips twitched. "I know."
And I liked it that way. Usually. When the temperature wasn't dropping a degree for every ten miles we drove closer to the mountains.
A huge gust of wind rocked the SUV, and my fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Yellow highway stripes blurred for a second, but I blinked, and everything came back into focus. Goddamn, were we there yet?
"You good up there, Everett?" Bren hollered, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I can take over if you want, man."
"I'm good," I said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror, squished between Madie—his girlfriend—and Nessa's roommate, Collins. The only one missing in our festive, merry bandwagon was Beau, who had gone up to the ski resort a few days ago to prepare for this weekend's competition with the rest of OSU's snow team. His family had their own cabin at the base of the mountain.
"Are you sure?" Bren's eyebrow raised, his dark eyes shining in the dusky car. "I could get us there in no time."
If I didn't know he was just trying to rib me, I'd be fucking annoyed. Even so, my foot pressed down further on the pedal. Just a little.
Narrowing my gaze slightly, I asked, "You calling me a slow driver, Hadaway?"
Before Bren could reply, Madie elbowed him. "Stop giving Grayson a hard time," she hissed.
I didn't get to see Bren's reaction with my eyes back on the road. But I heard it. He laughed, dry and sharp like usual. "But it's my favorite thing."
Shaking my head with a reluctant grin, I peeked back over at Nessa.
Her tender brown eyes said, thank you for putting up with my friends.
To which I smiled a smile that said, anything for you, baby.
After all, they were kinda my friends now, too.
****
Beau's family cabin was...not a cabin. It was a whole-ass ski lodge and a total monstrosity. A gorgeous, timber-filled, a-framed monstrosity covered in a blanket of snow. And in the front door was the man himself, grinning from ear to ear as we piled out of the car and into the house. I only saw that smile of his falter once as Beau's eyes caught on Collins, and I wondered, not for the first time, what the hell was going on with those two.
"Wow."
Bren broke the silence, dropping his bags in the foyer and staring up at the massive Christmas tree. It was wrapped in gold ribbon, splashes of decadence mixed with rustic charm, and I would have bet my football scholarship that a professional decorator had their hands all over it the second that Thanksgiving passed.
"Um, Beau." Nessa pulled up next to me, pointing down at the red and white matching wrapped presents beneath the tree. "I thought we decided we weren't doing gifts."
Beau's eyes skirted to the side, avoiding Nessa's glare as he ran a hand through his black hair, which had grown wild in the past few months. Wavy and almost past his ears. "I don't really remember that conversation."
Nessa popped a hand onto her hip, her voice dipping into that tone that always got my blood pumping a little faster. At least when it was directed at me. "Oh, really? Because I thought I made it pretty damn clear that—"
"What about drinks?" Beau cut in, dashing off into the open-concept kitchen to the right of the foyer. "I've got prosecco, a twelve-pack of Russian River IPA, and a vintage whiskey that I picked up just for you." He sang the last two words, and it was a bribe if I'd ever heard one.
A laugh slipped out between my lips, cut short by the look Nessa shot me.
My fierce, little whiskey girl.
"I'll take a drink," Madie cut in, easing the mood. "Prosecco, please!"
Beau nodded with a grin, urging us into the warmth of the house. Mansion. Lodge. Whatever you wanted to call it.
After popping the top of the prosecco, he rattled off the directions to our reserved bedrooms, and I half-wondered if I should be asking for a map. Even if it were just a sketch on the back of one of the cocktail napkins he had piled up on the counter. But I caught my tongue. And then I caught Nessa's hips just as she was about to walk over to the kitchen island, tugging her back into me.
Nessa gasped, short and sharp, as she collided with my chest, and I had to ignore the perfect feeling of her ass pressed up against me.
"Give Beau a break, baby," I murmured in her ear. "Spoiling people makes him happy just like singing makes you happy and playing football makes me happy. Christmas is his time to shine."
Nessa sighed and turned around in my arms. Tilting her head up, she blinked once. Twice. Her gaze wandered my face, and I wondered what she was looking for. Or what she saw. What she was thinking. It was making me want to kiss her, to distract that overactive brain of hers.
"You're right," she finally said.
I probably shouldn't have smiled, but I did. "I usually am."
Nessa made a face—amusement mixed with annoyance. "Cocky ass."
Leaning closer, I brushed a kiss along her jaw on the way to her ear. "You like my cocky ass."
Her breath hitched, but she shrugged. "Do I? "
I pulled back, wanting to look down at her again and see the way her eyes had darkened. And sure enough, there they were, wide and wanting. My body moved without permission, needing nothing more at this moment than to kiss her. To capture those lips with mine and then maybe hide her away and do some other things. I needed to—
"Hey! This is a PDA-free zone here," Beau called, his voice washing over me like a bucket of cold water. "Didn't I tell you?"
With a low chuckle, I stopped, barely a breath away from Nessa's mouth. From those lips.
"Ignore him," she whispered. "He's just being...Beau-y."
But it was tough to ignore him because he kept talking, shouting over from the kitchen.
"That's my mom's number rule," he added. "Martin households are strictly PG-rated."
A snort and a choking noise had me pulling away from Nessa, looking over her shoulder to see Bren laughing into his drink.
"Like all Martin households?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah," Beau said. "Especially the beach house."
If I didn't know Beau better, I'd think he was serious. His tone was sharp and firm. But his personality and the twinkle in his eye said something completely different; it said that he was wholly aware that the three months Madie and Bren spent at his parent's beach house while hiding from Madie's abusive ex were filled with lots of non-PG-rated activities.
"Oh, god. I'm never going to be able to look your mom in the eye," Bren muttered, and I couldn't help but laugh at how Madie's face lit up like a Christmas tree on fire. Burning embarrassment.
Giving up on kissing my girlfriend, I pulled Nessa into the kitchen to grab our drinks off the counter and then retreated to the giant sectional in the living room. A quick tug had her in my lap, and she tucked her feet up, snuggling closer.
Our reflection stared back at us, just tiny specks in the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Snow drifted down outside, making it look like we were sitting in a snowglobe. But that wasn't what caught my attention; no, it was the shiny baby grand piano sitting in the corner, begging to be played.
Before I could cross the room to sit down at the keys, though, the rest of the group swarmed around, collapsing onto the sofa by Nessa and me. Beau was the last to walk over, carefully balancing a stack of presents in his arms.
"Before you say anything else, it's just a little something," he said, placing a square package in Nessa's lap and putting another one next to me. Madie bounced up behind him, shoving a Santa hat onto his head, which he gladly accepted before adding, "I wanted to thank you for coming up here and watching me compete on the slopes tomorrow. Means a lot, Nessie."
"Little something, my ass," Nessa mumbled, sighing as she began to unwrap the gift. "It's going to be something outrageously expensive and—oh." She held a vinyl in her hands, an artists' name scribbled across the cover that I didn't recognize. A smile replaced her frown. "Oh, I've been wanting this."
She looked up at Beau, gratitude on her lips, but stopped short when she saw his attention was elsewhere. Perched on the armchair of the sofa, Beau's arms were crossed over his chest as he watched Collins unwrap her gift.
Collins had been quiet most of the night. I'd learned that she was soft-spoken in groups but chatty and witty on the rare occasions I'd caught her in a private conversation. Right now, though, she was all but silent, looking...exposed. Her fingers ran over the paint palette she unwrapped.
Beau plopped onto the couch next to her, eager to point something out on the back of his gift, and they descended into a mumbled conversation.
"I think this is one of the only times I've seen them talking easily since she moved in with us," Nessa said quietly, her breath hitting my ear. She'd been living with Beau and Collins since the beginning of the semester, and it had been nothing short of...awkward. Between them.
"Do you think they hooked up that night last year?" I asked.
Her lips drew together, a puzzled expression. She wiggled in my lap as she thought, and I had to breathe through my nose, silently reminding myself we were in a room full of people. "I'm not sure," she said, distracting my spiraling thoughts about how goddamn amazing she felt. "Something must have happened. But Beau won't tell me."
I nodded, watching as Collins tucked a curly piece of hair behind her ear, smiling shyly as she looked down at her gift. Meanwhile, Beau's attention was trained on her face. An avalanche could hit this house, and I still wasn't sure if he'd look away.
"Collins thinks Beau hates her," Nessa added, dropping her voice even lower. "And that he wishes she hadn't moved in."
I snorted, having half a mind to start recording the scene in front of me and show it to Collins when we got back to OSU. "He doesn't hate a single thing about that girl except that he can't touch her. You can see it on his face."
Beau laughed suddenly, which must have been at Collins' expense because she elbowed his side. And then he jumped, and we all jumped. Because Beau yelped.
"Oh my god." Collins' hands flew over her mouth, muffling her words. "I'm so sorry."
She looked horrified. Truly and utterly horrified. Honestly, I was a bit horrified, too, because I'd never heard Beau make a sound that ridiculous before.
Cautiously, Collins ran her hand down Beau's side, like she was soothing and inspecting him all at the same time. She certainly wasn't looking at his face, but I was. Dude was clenching his jaw tight, cheeks turning a little red as he managed to shake his head.
"It's nothing," Beau rasped. "It's nothing. I just had a nasty fall this morning during my first practice run. Matched off against a tree."
Collins frowned, tugging up the edge of his shirt to inspect the injury. "Maybe you should switch to skiing instead of snowboarding. It seems safer and—" She cut off, gasping at the purplish bruise on Beau's hip. Angry red scratches decorated it, and Collins pressed her finger to Beau's skin.
Beau made a weird noise and looked up at the ceiling.
"Collins, it's fine," he insisted. But he was choking on his words. Definitely not fine. And I knew it had nothing to do with his tree battle wounds. "It's just a few scratches."
"Shut up. No, it isn't." Collins swatted his hand away when he tried to pull down his shirt again. "Did you even clean these?"
"I—I mean, I took a shower and I—"
"Come on." Sighing, Collins pushed up from the couch. When Beau didn't immediately follow her, she glanced over her shoulder pointedly, in a way that said, what are you waiting for?
Eyes growing wide, Beau jumped up—although a bit gingerly considering his injury—and followed Collins to the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind them.
With the two of them out of the room, silence lingered, and I shared a knowing look with Nessa before glancing over to see Bren and Madie with the same expressions on their faces. We all broke out into grins at the same time, and Madie even had to hold a book—her present from Beau—over her mouth to block off a giggle. Bren shook his head, and Nessa's throaty laugh sounded in my ear.
"You haven't opened your gift yet," she said softly when we'd all managed to reign in our reactions.
Looking down at the present next to me, I realized she was right. Tearing into it, I only needed two quick rips to reveal a stack of sheet music with one hastily written post-it on top.
Let's hear it, spicy piano man.
A strangled cough got stuck in my throat, and Nessa peeked over to see what the note said.
She laughed, loud and adorably. "I told you my friends called you that."
I shook my head. "You should have put a stop to it."
"Believe me, I tried."
Let It Snow, Deck The Halls, All I Want For Christmas Is You—a whole stack of Christmas music in my hands, and I knew I couldn't let it go to waste. After regretfully scooting Nessa off my lap, I crossed the room to the piano, settling in behind the keys. The Mariah Carey classic was my first pick, and music filled the room, all the way up to the twelve-foot timber ceilings.
Only a few measures in, and I felt her presence. She scooted in next to me on the bench halfway through the opening.
"Sing for me?" I asked, fully prepared to beg.
There were very few things in this world that I loved more than listening to Nessa sing. Flashing my very best puppy-dog eyes, I waited until she relented with an exhale.
"I'll sing for you," she muttered. "But I don't want to sing for everybody."
I launched into the chorus, playing a little louder. "It's just your friends," I said, cocking my head to the side. "You once told me that Bren was one of the only people who'd heard you sing." I laughed despite myself. "God, the jealousy in my body at that moment was unreal, and I didn't even know who he was yet."
Nessa and I had only just met when she'd said that to me, and I'd wanted to clock Bren in the head for absolutely no reason. Well, there was a reason. I was possessive of that voice of hers. I wanted it all to myself.
Nessa's lips tilted up. "I'm glad you finally got over that."
I glanced over my shoulder at Bren. He had one arm around Madie, reading softly to her out of her new book. She was snuggled into him, her eyelids fluttering a little bit as she listened. It was late, probably past midnight. It had been over a five-hour drive to get out here to Mammoth Mountain.
Seeming to sense my gaze, Bren looked up. Silent communication passed between us—loud and clear communication—and he shut the book. Scooping Madie up into his arms, he flashed me a crooked grin and then carried his girlfriend up the stairs.
"They're probably going to reenact things they did at the beach house," Nessa whispered conspiratorially when they'd disappeared.
"Probably." I shrugged, not really caring as long as it meant I got Nessa to myself. Turning back toward the piano, I refocused my attention. "Now, will you sing for me?"
She nodded, clearing her throat. I started the song over again, but I almost forgot how to play when she hit those opening notes. This happened far too often. I should be prepared for it. But that gorgeous, throaty voice of hers blew me away every time.
As much as I loved Beau's thoughtfulness and his gift, I didn't really need the sheet music. Years of playing in Christmas productions and at family gatherings had left this song and the notes ingrained in my head. In my fingers. I didn't need the sheet music.
Which meant I could stare at Nessa instead. She was much prettier than a bunch of black notes on a piece of paper. Her skin was dewy, her eyes barely open. She didn't need the music either. The lyrics I just want you for my own flew through her lips, and then she wetted them, getting ready to finish out the intro. Goddamn.
Sometimes I wondered if the two of us could perform together, but moments like this reminded me that it would never work. Having her so close to me, feeling her deep breaths and vibrating passion, hearing her raspiness—it turned me on way too fucking much.
"I can't sing when you're looking at me like that," she accused when we hit the short break after the chorus.
"Like what?"
I knew what.
Nessa licked her lips, dark eyes flicking up to mine. "Like you're going to kiss me."
"Just kiss you, huh?"
I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than kiss her.
She swallowed, her cheeks growing even more crimson than before. When we hit the chorus again, she looked me dead in the eyes, parted her lips, and let pure magic float from her throat.
There she was...there was Nessa's spirit. Untamed and wild and festive in its own perfect way.
I didn't want the song to end, but it did, and I turned to Nessa, taking in her flushed skin and rosy cheeks.
"You still think it's too cold here, Adler?" I asked, unable to withhold a cheeky smile.
She shook her head. Slowly. Dark hair fell over her shoulders in sheets. "No, I'm actually quite...warm."
As if it were a designed moment, the fire cracked loudly behind her. The glow of the hearth made the edges of her face hazy. Illuminated. Bright.
"Just warm?" I asked, tugging on the ends of her hair.
"Hot," she corrected.
She enunciated the t, drawing my attention straight to her mouth. Her lips twitched knowingly, and a heartbeat pounded loudly. I wasn't sure if it was mine or hers or if it simply belonged to this moment, but I felt it. I felt this unbearable pulse that always happened when we looked at each other for too long.
And I couldn't stand it any longer.
"Fuck, baby."
With a low groan, I crushed my mouth to hers, kissing those lips and drinking in those sounds she made. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulled me closer, fusing us together. Deepening the kiss, my tongue flicked against hers, and it elicited a shallow moan from her throat. But it was never enough.
More. I needed to feel more of her. My hands fell off the keys, drifting instead to her thighs, plucking at the tights she had on and wishing they'd disappear.
"Tomorrow, you need to wear pants," I muttered against her mouth. "Otherwise, you're gonna get sick when we go to watch Beau on the slopes. Pants. You got that?"
Nessa didn't reply. She cocked her head to the side, kissing me harder.
Somehow, I managed to pull back. "Nessa..."
"Are you sure?" she asked, biting down on her lower lip before pressing a kiss to my jaw. "Skirts are so much more...convenient."
I groaned, squeezing her thigh and inching my hand beneath her skirt. So fucking convenient. "Pants, Nessa. And if I want them off, I'll get them off. Don't you worry about that."
She opened her legs for me, enough that I could brush a finger along the inner seam of her thigh. "Okay," she gasped.
That gasp made my head spin. I knew what it meant, and sure enough, when I pressed my knuckle between Nessa's legs, I could feel how goddamn damp she was through her tights. She opened wider, letting me push up her skirt and find that perfect spot, rubbing in tight circles over it.
"Grayson," she cried, gripping my hair.
With my free hand, I pulled her in closer so I could breathe against her skin. Smell her hair. Mutter in her ear. "It's been a minute since I fucked you against a piano."
Nessa breathed a little whimpering noise that made my pants tighter.
I smirked against her cheek. "You want me to do it again, don't you?"
She didn't reply, but she did tip her head back, giving me access to her neck. I kissed it, sucking on a sensitive spot that made her admit, "Yes."
"That wouldn't be very PG of me, though," I mumbled, trying not to smile. "Beau might get mad."
"Beau's busy."
Chuckling, I detangled myself from her and stood, not bothering to adjust my hard-on, which was now staring Nessa straight in the face. A fire lit up in her eyes, and I cursed beneath my breath, half ready to let her pull me out and suck me into her mouth right then and there like she clearly wanted.
"Beau's busy," she repeated, hunger in her eyes as she looked up.
Oh, fuck this.
Hauling Nessa to her feet, I dragged her in the direction that Beau had pointed earlier, striding through the dark hallway until I found our room. Without even needing a map. Honestly, it was a goddamn Christmas miracle. Walking through the doors, I didn't bother flicking on the flights. The bright, white snow lit up the room enough to find the bed, and I pushed Nessa toward it.
She sank into a sea of fuzzy blankets, her dark hair fanning out around her like a halo as she smirked up at me.
"I can't wait to give you your present," she said.
I narrowed my gaze at her before tossing my shirt over my head. "I thought we decided we weren't doing presents."
The smirk grew. "I don't remember that...."
Bending down, I snaked my hands up her legs, appreciating the feel of skin beneath her tights and the fact that I was about to peel them away. Knowing what I was doing, she lifted her hips, and I stripped off that black netting along with her underwear. It all floated to the floor, and I began kissing a path back up her leg. That smooth, bare skin.
"Little hypocrite," I growled.
Nipping at her inner thigh, I drank in the sounds of her giggles.
"You're right," she laughed. "I'm totally a hypocrite."
"I'm always right," I reminded her.
Her breaths were coming in heavy pants, and I knew she was distracted by how I was hovering before her pussy, blowing softly. She squirmed, adding, "And annoying."
"But you love it." Giving in, I swiped my tongue over her clit, and she bucked beneath me, moaning appreciatively. "Quiet, darling," I said, keeping my voice low. My words were a dark, husky mess that betrayed how turned on I was by her taste. How much I was aching. "I know you love it, but quiet."
"I love you," she breathed.
That did it. Pulling back, I unbuckled my pants, whipping out my belt as I stared down at her hungrily. Even in the shadowed room, her eyes shone.
"Take off your shirt, Nessa."
There was, admittedly, a part of me that realized take off your shirt wasn't a good response for I love you, but I'd make up for it in a second. I just needed to—
Oh, goddamnit.
Her tits were out, and they were so fucking perfect, and now I was frozen to the spot, staring at her. She was naked except for her pushed-up mini skirt.
Nessa chuckled, but it was a naughty chuckle, emphasized by how she dragged her hands up over her head. And then she sighed. "Grayson, just get over here."
"Gladly." My feet unrooted from their spot on the soft, probably costly rug. And then I stripped down and climbed on top of her, ready to drown in this girl that I loved. "What else do you want? I'll do anything. Anything for you."
When I flattened my bare chest to hers, I felt our collective air slip away. "Just...you know."
I shook my head before dropping it to kiss a path below her ear. Down her neck. Across her collarbone. Over the swell of her breasts. "No. No, I don't. Tell me what you want, baby."
Nessa grabbed a fistful of my hair when I sucked her nipple into my mouth, and I knew it was meant to communicate something. But I had this problem, and it was that I needed her to say it. Because fuck, that voice of hers...it was mine, and I wanted to hear it.
After using my knee to spread her legs wider, I sat back, looking down at her. Deep breaths. I had to force myself to take deep breaths to not lose it. Nudging my aching erection between her thighs, I raised a brow. "Is it this? Do you want this?"
Please say yes. Otherwise, I might have to run out into the snow to cool my blood. And I don't really want frostbite this weekend. Please say yes, darling.
Nessa's hand shot down in response, and she wrapped her fingers around the base of my cock, making me grunt in restraint. But then she said that magic word.
"Yes."
"Then I'm gonna give it to you."
I lost it. Restraint and everything else was gone, and finally, with one fast, hard rock of my hips and her guiding me, I was home. Hot, wet, and deep. Perfect. Nessa arched up to meet my thrusts, her lips parted in an ecstasy I fucking lived in every since she finally let me call her my girlfriend.
"Nessa."
Somewhere in a currently inaccessible part of my brain, I knew I was being too loud, crying her name. And so I wasn't surprised when Nessa's eyes met mine, and her lips tilted.
"Quiet, darling," she whispered, teasing me. Giving my shit right back. Why was I so obsessed with her when she did that? Her little attitude only made me want to fuck her harder.
And so I did.
"Oh, god. I love you." Moaning, I leaned down to capture that smirking mouth with mine. "I love everything about you," I breathed, deciding to obey and keep my voice down as I spoke between thrusts. "Last Christmas was awful. So awful because you hated me."
"I didn't hate you, Grayson," she gasped.
True. She didn't. Not completely. I'd always known that she wanted me in some way. Like the way she wanted me right now, tipping her hips up to take what I was giving to her.
"But still," I choked out. "You acted like you did, and I knew I was so screwed because you were it for me. You are it for me."
Nessa moaned in response. "You're it for me, too." She wrapped her arms around my neck, fingers digging into my skin. Demanding. "Now would you be quiet and just fu—"
A tight snap of my hips had Nessa speechless, and I bit down on a grin.
"That what you wanted?" I murmured in her ear.
"Mmm."
My grin grew, and I unleashed it, smiling against her skin. She felt so good, so wildly good. And now I wanted her to be good and come for me.
Slipping my hand between us, I found her clit, applying that little bit of pressure that I knew drove her to the edge. Over it. And sure enough, Nessa cried out, pulsing around me as I spiraled into a moment of frenzy where nothing else existed except Nessa and me and this bed, and oh god.
"There she is," I whispered as she shuddered. "That's it, baby."
"Oh my god, Grayson. That was—"
Nessa closed her eyes, unable to finish. I understood.
Panting, I collapsed and quickly rolled to the side, gathering her in my arms. And then I smiled against her hair. "This is so corny, but I don't care. Honestly, I just don't have words right now, only lyrics. And all I want for Christmas is—"
"You," she cut in with a sigh, melting into me.
"You," I repeated, kissing the top of her head.
Nessa might be a bit of a grinch—just a little—but she was unapologetically her. The month of December didn't bring out a new side of her. It didn't light a fire in her eyes or bring a sparkle to the room. It didn't send her into a sing-songy spree. Those things happened the whole year. Christmas didn't change her.
But she changed Christmas.
At least for me.
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