November 9

The novel cuts to Fallon and Ben’s next meeting. A worried Ben waits for Fallon for two hours in their agreed restaurant. He gets a call from Fallon at the local frozen yogurt place (as they don’t have each other’s phone numbers) telling him that her flight was delayed. They arrange to meet at his house instead. Ben is happy to see Fallon with newfound confidence, illustrated by her short hair and short-sleeve shirt (that exposes her scars). He takes Fallon up to his room, and they talk about things that happened in the past year.

Fallon tells Ben about a boy she dated and kissed in the past year. She admits that they grew close to intimacy, but she became frightened because the fire left her with more than scars: When the firemen pulled her from Donovan’s house, they damaged her left breast. She is afraid of showing her breast to anyone, and that particular boy made her feel belittled. Ben wants to see Fallon and slowly begins to undress her. They begin to kiss when someone walks into the room, interrupting them.