Small Blue Thing Read Online Free PDF Page B

Not really believing what I was seeing, I touched the bracelet and stole a quick glance towards it.
    His eyes flicked down towards my wrist and I saw them widen in surprise. His hand flew to his own wrist, and I saw he was wearing an identical band. Another expression transformed his face. Was it alarm? He looked back at me and took a couple of steps closer.
    “Keep cool,” I muttered to myself under my breath, as I tried to look a little less startled and more composed and interesting. I went for a tentative half smile. He really was stunningly handsome, and I couldn’t imagine what he wanted with me, but it wasworthwhile trying to keep his attention for a minute longer.
    He seemed to be struggling with something which made him frown, but then he too smiled, with a strange look of wonderment. He was even more beautiful when he smiled, with a deep crease in one cheek and a flash of perfect white teeth.
    “Hello,” I whispered, surprising myself for speaking out. He continued to stand there, smiling more confidently now, but saying nothing. This was going to be harder than I imagined. Maybe he didn’t speak English.
    “Alex!” called a voice behind me. Grace was looking at me strangely. “Are you coming…?”
    “I’ll be right there,” I replied over my shoulder, trying not to lose too much eye contact with my silent companion. “I’m supposed to be working on an art project…” I started to explain to him, then tailed off. How lame was that? Not exactly the sort of thrilling conversation that was going to hold the interest of someone like him. He was still standing there, and I noticed that he was wearing a strange, full-length cloak that was pushed back behind his shoulders, secured by a thick cord by his neck. Weird. It would be just my luck if someone this lovely was a monk.
    He looked as if he was about to say something, but before he could speak a group of German tourists suddenly appeared, with a guide who was telling them about the peephole in the dome’s roof. The guide was right behind him, pointing up while walking backwards and talking to his group. I could see that the guide was about to walk into him, so I instinctively reached out to pull him out of the way. As I touched his arm I felt a slight tingling sensation and my hand went right through him. I pulled back as if I had been electrified. This wasn’t possible. I looked at him again in puzzlement. His face was struggling with several emotions. Onewas clearly joy – he was still smiling – but he also looked really frustrated.
    After a few seconds the German tourists moved on, so he wasn’t about to be trampled any more. I must have made a mistake, I decided; perhaps his clothes were made of some strange slippery fabric, or perhaps I was just distracted by his astonishing beauty. There was no way my hand had actually gone through him – people were solid, so there had to be a rational explanation. I tried again, spotting a good conversation opener.
    “I, um, I see you have the same bracelet as I do.” I gestured towards my band and to his. He looked down at his arm, then directly into my eyes.
    He couldn’t have been much older than me but those beautiful eyes hinted at pain and sorrow. He raised his arm to show me his wrist. The band there seemed identical to mine. Thinking it would be better to compare them side by side, I smiled and took a couple of steps towards him. As I moved, the air around him seemed to swirl, and he was gone. I looked around wildly, but he had completely disappeared. Grace was right behind me though, arms folded, with a quizzical look on her face.
    “Where did he go?” I demanded, continuing to scan the crowds of tourists flowing past us.
    “Who?” asked Grace in surprise.
    “That guy! The one in the cloak. Where has he gone?”
    “I didn’t see anyone in a cloak.”
    “You must have done. He was right here; I was talking to him…”
    “Alex,” Grace put a gentle hand on my arm, “you were standing