Moonlight Read Online Free PDF Page A

own reflection, and he seemed to be staring back into his own dark eyes.
    At Exeter, Winnie woke with her bladder pleading to be emptied. She pressed the flat of her hand against her tummy in fear of peeing herself. Thaddeus had gone from beside her, and she peered along the gangway in search of him. The aisle disappeared narrowly away in both directions, but she couldn’t see Thaddeus. She spied his suitcase above her on the rack, and guessed he couldn't be far. Air whistled through her teeth, as she sighed and got up from her seat in search of the bathroom. The train seesawed back and forth as she passed amongst the rows of seats. There were only several passengers remaining in the carriage. Most were asleep, one or two were reading, and another sipped from a steaming cup of coffee.
    The door which separated the carriages slid effortlessly open for her as she passed through. The bathroom door was showing the engaged sign and she waited patiently outside, her hand pressed flat against her stomach. Her need to go was desperate now, as she squeezed her muscles tight and pressed her legs together. She bit into her lower lip, draining the blood there. Not knowing for how much longer she could hold on, Winnie inched forward and rapped on the door with her fist, then tugged at the handle.  As she pulled, the train lurched, throwing her forward as the toilet door was opened from the inside. Winnie tumbled into the waiting arms of Thaddeus.
    "Steady," he whispered, holding her tightly by both shoulders with his hands.
    "Sorry, I thought the door was jammed and I'm bursting...." she groaned, her pale cheeks flushing scarlet.
    "Well I won’t hold you up any longer," he smiled, releasing his grip on her. He slid past, then turning , he smiled back at her and said,
    "Would you like a coffee, Winnie?"
    Returning his smile, she nodded. "That would be great, thank you."
    He turned away from her and she closed the door. Winnie yanked down her jeans and panties, and hitching her top up about her waist, she sighed. Once finished, she pulled up her jeans and rearranged her top. She squeezed some soap from the container on the wall, and washed her hands in the warm water which tossed and tumbled from the tap. Winnie towelled her hands dry and turned to the mirror to straighten her hair, and paused. Several small drops of what looked like blood stained her top across her right shoulder, where Thaddeus had gripped her only moments ago. She dabbed at it with a wet towel, but the blood was sticky, and it just looked worse where she had tried to wipe it away.
    Raking her fingers through her hair, she tried to hide the spots of blood which covered her shoulder. Satisfied that they were hidden, she left the bathroom. Returning to her seat, she found Thaddeus with two small cups of black coffee. Once she had sat down again, Winnie glanced down at Thaddeus’s hands. He had tied a white-coloured piece of tissue around his right thumb.
    “Have you hurt yourself ? ” she asked, taking a sip of the hot, sweet coffee.
    “My cigarette case,” he said, placing his hand beneath the table and out of sight.  “One of the edges is slightly serrated. I’ve been meaning to replace it for a while now, so it is my own stupid fault.”
    “Does it need sti t ches?” Winnie asked, thinking of the blood that was now on her top. 
    “It's just fine. I've covered it for the time being. I shall patch it up when I get home.” Then, noticing the blotches of blood, he added, “I'm sorry for ruining your top. You look really pretty .”
    The sudden compliment surprised Winnie, and although it was nice to hear - after all, who didn’t like to hear compliments - she felt awkward and didn’t know how to respond.
    Watching her, Thaddeus said, “Don’t worry about the top, I shall replace it.”
    Then breaking his stare, and feeling her cheeks flush red again, she turned to look out of the window and said, "You don’t have to replace it, you've been too kind