"Nina Kiriki Hoffman - Courting Disasters" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hoffman Nina Kiriki)

He lay and gasped.

тАЬAre you all right? Should I call a nurse?тАЭ asked Rachel.

Simon trembled. He had bitten his cheek; the rusty taste of blood had a peculiar, violent vividness that
both his ghosts savored. Blood thrummed in his head. тАЬThis building condemned,тАЭ he said. тАЬThis building
condemned.тАЭ

тАЬAre you delirious? Answer yes or no,тАЭ said Rachel, touching his forehead with cool fingers.

тАЬYou smell like jasmine,тАЭ he said.

тАЬSimon?тАЭ The dent between her brows that appeared when she was worried looked much deeper than it
used to. тАЬPlease. Are you okay?тАЭ

He drew in deep breaths, felt his heart calm inside him, no longer trying to knock its way free. тАЬIтАЩm all
right.тАЭ

She relaxed. He studied her, wondering what brought her up here after him, when he had come so close
to beating her before he left. тАЬWhy did you come?тАЭ he asked at last.

тАЬThe doctor called me. She told me how badly hurt you were, and all alone. I thoughtтАФтАЭ She stared
toward the door, beyond the open end of his curtain. тАЬWhen you first asked me out, I thought, is this the
one? You really noticed me. And you listened to meтАФsuch listening eyes. The men IтАЩve known before
didnтАЩt listen like that. I think I got addicted to it.тАЭ

тАЬI canтАЩt give you that anymore.тАЭ

тАЬI know that,тАЭ she said. She smiled. тАЬI thought if I helped you get well-тАЭ

тАЬWhat? IтАЩd be grateful, and marry you? ThatтАЩs not the way it works. I wanted to get away from you
before you knew me any better, becauseтАФтАЭ

тАЬThat last date we had, you scared me,тАЭ she said, and looked at the floor.

So she had sensed something.

тАЬYou started sounding like someone else. Another personтАЩs voice in your throat, Simon; another
personтАЩs words in your mouth. Is that who you have nightmares about? That man, the mean one?тАЭ

тАЬYou donтАЩt understand. ThatтАЩs me, thatтАЩs who I am underneath.тАЭ The words were hard to say; once they
came out, he shuddered, his secret fear at last given form. Sometimes when he turned around, he thought
he threw his fatherтАЩs shadow. A man he had hated all his life, a man who taught him everything he knew
about women, walked in his own shoes.

She touched his hand. тАЬIt doesnтАЩt matter,тАЭ she said, тАЬbecause now you couldnтАЩt hurt me if you wanted to.
First, you have to learn to walk, and I still know how to run.тАЭ

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