Imperfect Strangers Read Online Free PDF

Kerry states. “Better you stick to the bottle, love. It might be cold but at least it’s hard.”
    “It’s contents taste better too,” Philippa shrieks.
    “Oh, you are hilarious,” I mock, prodding Philippa in the back while throwing Kerry a grimace of disapproval. A sad sap he may be, but no one deserves the mick taken right in front of their face. “You should be on stage, Pip.”
    Keith must have heard Kerry’s comment, for his cheeks flush crimson , and he casts his eyes to the floor. “M - mornin’ ladies,” he says in a voice so quiet and unassuming it could very easily have been the rustle of leaves tumbling past him. “S-S-S-Sally.”
    Fan-bloody-tastic. More ammunition for Kerry and Philippa to fire at me. Just like playing kiss catch at school; I get captured by the smelly kid. Sallyan Dennis sittin in a tree, K, I, S, S, I, N, G. Five feet beyond Keith, en-route to the lifts, Philippa and Kerry explode with laughter. Philippa has to hold her stomach she’s laughing so much.
    “Stop,” she gasps. “Stop, please, it hurts. Stop, please ; you’re making me pee.”
    Kerry’s in full flow now, mocking Keith’s stutter, and flicking her tongue like a snake. “S-S-S-Sally.”
    Even Colleen giggles, though, to her credit, she looks rather guilty for having done so, and then looks embarrassed as people in the foyer stare at us.
    Turning back to the door, I give Keith a straight -lipped smile before mouthing, ‘so sorry’. He gazes at me intently, not the kind of look most guys give – eyes roving, trying to imagine you with no clothes on – but it’s just as penetrating and makes me feel uncomfortable. A hesitant smile trembles across his face, then he beams, and the look I found so disturbing has completely gone. Weird. Maybe it was just my imagination. I should have just ignored him, pretended I don’t care that my friends can be so cruel.
    I turn back before entering the lift, expecting him to be gazing after me. He isn’t, and that’s good, but I can’t help feeling sorry for him. For just a moment back there, I was the horrid little brat in the playground again: shouting for everyone to just shut up, and telling smelly-Denni – much louder, and much nastier than necessary – to bloody well let go and don’t bloody dare try to kiss me, ever.
    The sorrow in me climbs to a higher level as the expectant rainfall times itself perfectly and falls on Keith, the solitary being still out there.
    Had this scene been in a film, Steve would have said something along the lines of: As if . Look at how the rain held off until the sad sap left the building. Are we expected to believe this is real life ?
    Sad Sap. Are they Steve’s words or mine? I think they’re mine. Christ, deep down, I’m as bad as Kerry. I watch as Keith descends the steps, already drenched, his clothes as heavy looking as my insides feel . I determine to be a better person in future.
    Next time I see Keith I’m going to ask him how he is, or something equally as pleasant.

     
    CHAPTER
4
     
    The rise and fall of the leaves blowing against the doors remind me of Sally’s star globe. I’ve taken a break from the book, letting its weight rest on the reception desk, as I look over the top and watch golden leaves whirling in the cold breeze amid people arriving for their morning’s work. To learn anything from a book, to absorb the information and remember it, I always make sure to read twice over at the very least. Occasionally, I make notes. I’ve made notes on this book, and am now skimming through it a third time, pausing over things like dates, place names and song titles, testing myself and firmly fixing them into my memory. Arthur is in the back room making his first cup of tea. My lonely shift has finished, and I could leave for home if I wished. I’m not ready to depart just yet though. The angel’s missing from this leaf-blown globe, and so I return to the book: Dream Come True: The Leann Rimes Story . The first