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He pulled away. “Don’t touch me.”
Both of her hands came up, flattened, surrendering. “I’m sorry.”
He backed away from her. “You’ve got what you want, now go.”
“Will you sleep, what will you do?”
He shook his head. He didn’t want to talk to her anymore.
“Drum, where will you go?”
“When does it start?”
She gave him the dates. Five days time for two weeks absence.
“Then that’s when I’ll go, right before it starts.”
She shook her head. “You can’t stay here now.”
“I’m not leaving till I have to. I’ll be back when it’s over. That’s the best I can give you. I can’t be away from here.”
“Okay.” She sighed. “That’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.”
He nodded. “Now go.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She was relentless. She would anyway. He sighed.
“The sunrise must be wonderful. I, ah, since I’m here, I wondered if you’d mind me staying to watch it?”
“You want to watch the sun rise here, with me?”
She nodded, white smile in the gloom. It was just a sunrise. She was just a woman.
“The sun rises all over the place at the same time. There are plenty of other places you can watch it.”
“I know, but I’m getting attached to your cave and I can’t take your hoodie with me and you’re right, I’ll get cold.”
He looked away. It was still better that she left. “You can take the hoodie.”
“I won’t talk to you. I’ll just watch. It’s only a few hours now.”
“Two at least.” Every extra minute was a rotation of the earth.
“I’ll go as soon as it’s light, I promise.”
“And you won’t come again?”
“I won’t come again.”
“I don’t trust you.”
She stuck out her hand. “Shake on it. I’ll leave as soon as the sun comes up and I won’t come back. You’ll leave before the exhibition starts and you won’t come back till it’s over.”
He looked at her hand. He’d held it once, but that was before he knew how much he liked touching her. Her small hand, so clean and sure in his. It was wrong to want that again.
She waggled her hand. “Drum, do we have a deal?”
