In This Life Read Online Free PDF Page B

as if he’d been waiting for me to find him.
    “I did.”
    “What took you so long?” he asked, his grin spreading from ear to ear.
    “I’ve never walked this far out before,” I said.
    His eyes called to me, beckoning me to come closer, but his body language said otherwise. He seemed nervous. He kept his hands at his sides and rocked back and forth on his heels.
    I moved closer, one tiny step at a time, until we were only an arm’s length apart. Every step towards him was unintended, every emotion unexplained. I stopped when I was near enough to feel his breath on me, and as I gazed up, he looked down so that our noses were almost touching. The air around us was fraught with tension, the kind that manifested itself through the reactions of the flesh. The heat of his stare seared me, knocked the wind out of me. The compassion in his eyes grabbed hold of me in the middle of my storm and set me safely on solid ground. Just like last night, when he pulled my head out of the water.
    And there it was again, that band of light that seemed to radiate just above his head. Slivery, silvery shining light.
    I noticed the rise and fall of our chests in unison, and a rapid surge of energy. And as I turned to step away, he grabbed my shoulder with his right hand and spun me around before pressing me tightly against his body. I was in the arms of a stranger, but in the embrace of someone I had known for a hundred years. I couldn’t explain what had just happened. We spoke in the silence, lost in the uncertainty of it all. It was both disturbing and exhilarating and I forgot where I was in the world at this very instant. All that mattered was that he was here and that he’d touched me.
    “What is this? What’s happening here?” I gasped. He held me up with his long, strong arms. I was dizzy, weak, and confused.
    “I don’t know,” he whispered, cradling my head close to his chest, his other arm wrapped around my waist while mine were entwined around his neck. “We always seem to find each other.”
    I don’t know how long we remained this way. I finally took a step back and covered my mouth to stifle a giggle, embarrassed by the giddiness of it all.
    “Oh, God, I’m so drunk,” I said. My cheeks and ears began to burn.
    “I know.” Gently, he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before brushing his thumbs across my cheeks.
    I walked towards the futon on the floor but he stayed rooted in place, watching as I moved away. “I’m going to sleep this off,” I said, dropping to my knees and rolling onto the mattress. “Can we talk tomorrow?” I went about this as if it were my home, my bed, my blanket. Everything here was so comfortable, familiar and safe.
    “Yes. Tomorrow.”

 
     
     
    IT WASN’T THE first time that I woke up to find a man watching me sleep. Ordinarily, I would be cringing at the creepiness, but this time it was different. The comfort of his presence, the light in his eyes, and the smile on his face were a welcome relief. It didn’t hurt to open my eyes to the bright light of the sun shining across an endless body of pure, blue water. Jude was sitting next to me with two paper cups of coffee on top of a corrugated cardboard tray right by his feet.
    “Hi,” I said.
    I sat up and steadied myself before walking towards the bathroom. A tiny wooden ledge held a razorblade and a tube of toothpaste, and a tub of water sat right underneath the sink. Above it, a shard of glass was held up on the wall by two tiny paperclips, allowing one to see only one eye through it. I guess there was no need for a mirror. All you had to do was look down upon the clear blue water to see a reflection of yourself. I spread a drop of toothpaste on my teeth and rinsed it off with a handful of water. My unkempt hair sat on the top of my head like a bird’s nest. I deftly pulled it back and used some wayward strands to wrap it neatly into a bun.
    I walked back towards the futon and took a seat right next to