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might just be trying to be polite,
afraid to offend Ben or hurt his feelings. She really was serious
about something. Maybe she’d heard something. People said all kinds
of stupid things in here, mostly about other people. They also said
some stupid things about themselves. He had something he wanted to
tell her. It was something very personal. People had some
interesting sources of information, and the occasional rumour came
true.
    This was something that affected both
of them.
    “ It’s okay, Rene.” He
spoke gently. “I’ll just go away, if you would only say
so.”
    It would be a hell of a lot less
painful, especially in the long run.
    He’d already tried that
one, and she had said so, and so he had gone, and at the time, it did seem
to help. As sweet as she was, deep down inside she didn’t trust too
many people. Rightly so, perhaps, considering her looks.
    He was drawn to her like a moth to a
flame. She didn’t look too happy when he backed off, at least not
from any distance. She seemed to cheer up when he came around her
again. He had no choice but to risk it. There was no way he could
just forget her and move on. They were both members of a captive
audience.
    Ben stood close, practically boxing
Rene in. She had her back to the wall. They wore their coats and
hats, but still had bare legs sticking out at the bottom. Everyone
wore slippers, even out here, even in March. It was to keep them
from running away. You wouldn’t get too far dressed like that on a
day like this.
    He just wanted to be close to her and
she didn’t seem to mind all that much. Perhaps it was best if they
could keep their voices low. It might not mean much more than that.
He wished he could read her, but her pages were all blank, or misty
and indistinct. That was it.
    She was the most ephemeral person he
had ever met. Therein lay the attraction, maybe.
    Where he came from you were either
full of sand, could at least fake some grit, or you didn’t last too
long.
    Taking his hand off the glossy-painted
and stipple-toned, painted block wall, he took up both of her
hands, and eased away some so as not to be too dominating. He
wanted her to have a choice. They were eye to eye again.
    “ Here, give me
that.”
    With parted lips and semi-vacant
expression, she looked up in helpless submission. He took her left
in his right, brought up the second last finger to his mouth and
judiciously took hold of the bit of translucent skin between his
teeth.
    “ Thith might hult uh widdo
bid.” She giggled, eyes dancing again.
    She had to feel
something for him. Rene at least tolerated
him for some reason.
    He snipped it off with a firm
bite.
    “ Ow.” She brought it up to
her mouth and sucked it, the brief pain almost
forgotten.
    Now that there was nothing sticking
out to catch on other things, with nothing to irritate it, it would
quickly heal.
    “ No. Thank you, my
dear.”
    She looked up, mystified.
    “ Um, you taste good.” He
made a show of chewing something.
    She giggled again, looking
down and away. Her eyes came back to his and Rene laughed openly,
slapping Ben lightly on the chest. It meant something. He was sure of
that.
    She didn’t hate him or
anything.
    “ Aw. Go on.” She batted
her eyelashes at him, managing to look hopeless at flirting and yet
so very fetching at the same time.
    She knew what he wanted, what all guys
wanted on some level—Ben could hardly deny it. But there was more,
a lot more to that story. That was the part she didn’t seem to get.
There was something in her smile, in the the way her eyes flashed.
There was no guile in her.
    That part was real. She was just dying
to trust him, to find some good in him. So far, she hadn’t been
able to bring herself to really trust him. He was amusing enough in
his own way, he supposed, cringing inwardly on the
thought.
    He didn’t believe she could ever be
cruel. She simply didn’t have it in her and thank God for that. She
must have been hurt before. It was hard to think