why you’re here!’
Ben laughed. ‘Stupid? You’ve got to be kidding. You just broke the land-speed record for escaping and scared me half to death in the process. Nice job conning me about the need for your blindfold, by the way.’
‘I wasn’t conning you! I don’t lie! I never lie!’
‘So why don’t you need it now?’
‘I do need it.
did
need it, and maybe I still do need it... sometimes in bright... Ooo!’ She punched her fist into her thigh in frustration. ‘You wouldn’t understand!’
‘Not unless you explain it. How could I?’ His voice drew closer and lower, as if he was leaning down to inspect her stitches.
‘You told me not to go on about hallucinations. Did you forget that?’
‘So sue me; I take it back.’
‘Lied more like it!’
‘Well, I don’t know about lying. I really would like to sit, though; may I?’
Mira cringed away from him, her head hugging into the corner of the shelter, wondering what kind of trickhe was trying to pull. Nowhere for her to run to now, though, if he wanted to tackle her. ‘As if I could stop you,’ she snapped.
He chuckled, a soft and kind-sounding laugh that still managed to mock her.
‘No means no in any language,’ he replied. ‘Especially when it comes from a woman. So if you don’t want me to sit, Mira, just say so.’
‘How did you find me so fast? Did you see me? Follow me? Or were you always watching?’
‘May I sit?’ he persisted with his ever-patient voice.
‘Sit, go on. That’s what you want, isn’t it?’
‘I’ll take that as a no then.’
‘I didn’t say
no,
I said
sit.
Are you deaf, or twisting my words now?’
‘You’re the one who’s twisting your words. I heard you say sit, but your tone and body language are both telling me
no.
So if I sat beside you now, you could rightfully accuse me of imposing my will on you.’
‘Would not!.
Could
not,’ she corrected. She sat up and folded her arms. ‘Go on. Sit or don’t sit. See if I care.’
‘You’re still doing it. If you really wanted me to sit, you’d ask nicely and unfold your arms. That body language is still blocking me.’
‘Ugh! I don’t want you to sit. That’s not the same as not caring. You might as well be another passenger. except, you took off your shoes to sneak up on me, didn’t you?’
‘Obviously.’ He groaned and shifted his feet. ‘I think I’ll stay standing.’
‘Now my company isn’t good enough for you?’
He chuckled and moved his feet again. ‘Ouch!. No, that’s not it.’
‘Stop teasing me then and sit, or else drag me away and be done with it. Just don’t stand there laughing at me. I hate that more than anything.’
‘Sorry. I’m not laughing at you.’
‘Oh, and now I’m deaf?’
‘I think you’re scared. It shouldn’t be of me, though. If you could see anything between those stitches, you’d see why. I’m totally shitting myself.’
‘I can’t smell that. Only blood, and why so much of it, by the way?’
‘Not that type of. Oh, er. there’s a dead bird on the road.’
‘Now I smell another lie.’
‘You think so? Matron Sanchez is going to wring my neck. Or sack me, which is probably worse, given the state of my finances.’
‘That’s not my problem.’
‘Trade you my problems for yours then? At least you have round-the-clock staff assigned to help solve yours.’
‘Not if I can help it!’ She pushed her hands down to clasp one another in her lap, wondering how long it would take him to read her change in body language, forced or not.
The planks of the seat creaked as they took his weight. ‘In fact, I might as well run away with you. I should have enough change to pay for our tickets. Unless you’ve got some cash on you?’
‘You’re serious? You’re not going to force me back?’
‘Mira,’ he said, ‘forgive me for laughing, but if we go back up that hill, I can guarantee it will be you pushing me in your wheelchair.’
‘As if!’ she snorted.
‘Right. So you
Ben laughed. ‘Stupid? You’ve got to be kidding. You just broke the land-speed record for escaping and scared me half to death in the process. Nice job conning me about the need for your blindfold, by the way.’
‘I wasn’t conning you! I don’t lie! I never lie!’
‘So why don’t you need it now?’
‘I do need it.
did
need it, and maybe I still do need it... sometimes in bright... Ooo!’ She punched her fist into her thigh in frustration. ‘You wouldn’t understand!’
‘Not unless you explain it. How could I?’ His voice drew closer and lower, as if he was leaning down to inspect her stitches.
‘You told me not to go on about hallucinations. Did you forget that?’
‘So sue me; I take it back.’
‘Lied more like it!’
‘Well, I don’t know about lying. I really would like to sit, though; may I?’
Mira cringed away from him, her head hugging into the corner of the shelter, wondering what kind of trickhe was trying to pull. Nowhere for her to run to now, though, if he wanted to tackle her. ‘As if I could stop you,’ she snapped.
He chuckled, a soft and kind-sounding laugh that still managed to mock her.
‘No means no in any language,’ he replied. ‘Especially when it comes from a woman. So if you don’t want me to sit, Mira, just say so.’
‘How did you find me so fast? Did you see me? Follow me? Or were you always watching?’
‘May I sit?’ he persisted with his ever-patient voice.
‘Sit, go on. That’s what you want, isn’t it?’
‘I’ll take that as a no then.’
‘I didn’t say
no,
I said
sit.
Are you deaf, or twisting my words now?’
‘You’re the one who’s twisting your words. I heard you say sit, but your tone and body language are both telling me
no.
So if I sat beside you now, you could rightfully accuse me of imposing my will on you.’
‘Would not!.
Could
not,’ she corrected. She sat up and folded her arms. ‘Go on. Sit or don’t sit. See if I care.’
‘You’re still doing it. If you really wanted me to sit, you’d ask nicely and unfold your arms. That body language is still blocking me.’
‘Ugh! I don’t want you to sit. That’s not the same as not caring. You might as well be another passenger. except, you took off your shoes to sneak up on me, didn’t you?’
‘Obviously.’ He groaned and shifted his feet. ‘I think I’ll stay standing.’
‘Now my company isn’t good enough for you?’
He chuckled and moved his feet again. ‘Ouch!. No, that’s not it.’
‘Stop teasing me then and sit, or else drag me away and be done with it. Just don’t stand there laughing at me. I hate that more than anything.’
‘Sorry. I’m not laughing at you.’
‘Oh, and now I’m deaf?’
‘I think you’re scared. It shouldn’t be of me, though. If you could see anything between those stitches, you’d see why. I’m totally shitting myself.’
‘I can’t smell that. Only blood, and why so much of it, by the way?’
‘Not that type of. Oh, er. there’s a dead bird on the road.’
‘Now I smell another lie.’
‘You think so? Matron Sanchez is going to wring my neck. Or sack me, which is probably worse, given the state of my finances.’
‘That’s not my problem.’
‘Trade you my problems for yours then? At least you have round-the-clock staff assigned to help solve yours.’
‘Not if I can help it!’ She pushed her hands down to clasp one another in her lap, wondering how long it would take him to read her change in body language, forced or not.
The planks of the seat creaked as they took his weight. ‘In fact, I might as well run away with you. I should have enough change to pay for our tickets. Unless you’ve got some cash on you?’
‘You’re serious? You’re not going to force me back?’
‘Mira,’ he said, ‘forgive me for laughing, but if we go back up that hill, I can guarantee it will be you pushing me in your wheelchair.’
‘As if!’ she snorted.
‘Right. So you
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