Half Life Read Online Free PDF

that he ’ s hurting this beautiful brave woman so I grab his jacket and drag him backwards.  He releases Kate and stumbles away from her.
    “ What ’ s going on?  Who did that? ” he demands, whipping round but of course he can ’ t see me.
    “ Did you know this house is haunted Michael?  The ghost doesn ’ t like you hurting me, ” she snarls.
    “ Ghost? ” he laughs.  “ You ’ ve lost the plot since you left the city. ”
    Incensed I stand before him and he looks through me, still jeering at Kate and I shove him roughly.  This time he falls over onto his behind.
    “ Who do you think did that then?  I ’ m warning you Michael, you should leave.  Right now. ”
    “ No, there must be some other explanation, some trick, ” he says although his eyes are filled with uncertainty.
    “ No trick, ” she says maliciously.  “ Leave, while you still can. ”
    “ Get out, ” I bellow at him in my deepest scariest voice.
    This has the desired effect.  He scrabbles to his feet and races for the door.  Before he leaves he pauses.
    “ This isn ’ t over Kate. ”
    In response I grab some books off a shelf and hurl them at him.  With a girlish scream he ducks out the door and races down the path to his big metal beast, jumps inside and speeds off.
    I turn my attention to Kate, who despite her bravado looks rather shaken.  “ Are you alright? ”
    “ Yes, thanks to you.  One thing I never liked about him was his aggression. ”
    She ’ s shaking rather violently so after closing the door I hug her, delighted when I feel her arms go around my waist.
    “ He was my boss at the newspaper, ” she begins.  “ He was a good man once but over the years he became cold and cruel.  When he met a pert blond twenty three year old girl who wanted to be a journalist he gave her my job and kicked me out the door.  I fought him through the courts but everyone at the office took his side.  I can ‘ t really say I blame them because if they hadn ‘ t they would have lost their jobs too. ”
    This is the first time she ’ s told me what happened and I ’ m pleased she ’ s opened up to me.
    “ You ’ re better off without him. ”
    “ I know.  I ’ m so glad it ’ s over. ”   She smiles up at me.  “ What would I do without you? ”
    “ No, it ’ s you whose saved me Kate.  Before you I was a willow-the-wisp, a nothing.  Now I am alive. ”
    The next thing I know her lips are against mine and it ’ s marvellous.  She feels so gloriously warm and wonderful.  When it eventually ends she remains in my arms.  All the fear and pain Michael ’ s appearance caused her has disappeared from her eyes, which are now light and playful.
    “ I can ’ t believe I just kissed a ghost, ” she smiles.
    “ I didn ’ t know such a thing was possible, ” I reply, absolutely stunned.  This woman has an infinite capacity to surprise.  “ I hope I didn ’ t feel too cold? ”
    “ Not cold exactly, more tingly.  It was nice, ” she says demurely.
    “ You are astonishing Kate.  You ’ ve just kissed a dead man and you ’ re not in the least disturbed by it. ”
    “ That ’ s not how I see you Tom.  You ’ re one of the truest friends I ’ ve ever had and you ’ re very important to me. ”
    I feel as though I could cry but hold the emotion back manfully.  No one has ever said anything like this to me before.  For the first time ever I feel valued.  We kiss again and it ’ s even better.  Then we pull away and laugh nervously.
    “ I ’ m feeling very weak, ” she says.
    “ I must be drawing on your energy to kiss you. ”
    “ It ’ s worth it, ” she says, pressing her lips to mine once more.
    This time it lasts longer, becomes more passionate.  Then she sags against me, considerably weakened.  I lead her to the couch and we cuddle up together to watch our show on the television, after which she ’ s sufficiently recovered.
    We lock in another embrace, passion blazing like a