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She aiting for hiht before Alexander sensed her presence even before he vaulted over the fence, landing lightly on his feet Through the darkness, he could see her, a slender forreen pants and a white, off-the-shoulder blouse

As he closed the distance between the toward hiazesher, holding her, as though he would never again let her go

"Kara" He held her close, wanting to draw her goodness into hiht and flowers Her skin was soft and war his eyes, he let himself bask in her nearness, her warht It had been two hundred years since he&039;d last held a woman he cared for; two hundred years since he&039;d let a wootten hoonderful it was to hold and be held in return

"I missed you," Kara said She looked upat hiaze

"Did you?" His voice was deep and husky and unsteady

"Yes I thought about you all day" She glanced away, thenmoment" He slipped his ar and sat down

"I had a phone call froo to the hospital in Grenvale for some tests tomorrow"

"What kind of tests?"

"I&039;?"

"I don&039;t know When I wasin the hospital, all the doctors could talk about was the remarkable recovery I had made, but now they want to do aveherself to voice her worst fears, but the threat of AIDS looe in her mind

"I&039;m sure it wasn&039;t" Alexander stared into the distance He knehat they had found_a trace of his blood, alien blood

"Why don&039;t you have a telephone?"

"I find them an intrusion into my life, my privacy"

"But how do you stay in touch with your editor?"

"Bythe day, and prefer to be undisturbed by phones ringing I find it breaks my concentration" He took her hand in his "Did you try to call o," she admitted "And then today, after I heard from the hospital, I wished I could call you"

"Perhaps I shall have to get a phone then"

She smiled up at him as if she&039;d just won the lottery "I&039;ll probably spend the night in Grenvale Nana&039;s going withto spend the day together while I&039; hers "Maybe you could call ht?"

"Certainly"

"Here, you can useat the Grenvale Motel"

Alex stared at the compact instrument for a mo the phone into his pocket "And I will see you here Wednesday evening"

"I&039;ll be looking forward to it" She chewed the inside of her lower lip a moment "Do you think ht so we could spend er traced less patterns on the back of his hand His life had been like that, he thought, less circles that started nowhere and went nowhere Until now "What will your grandmother say?"

"It doesn&039;t matter I picked upback to ive you h he already knehere she lived

"You weren&039;t born in this country, were you?"

"No Why do you ask?"

"It&039;s the way you talk Iwith the way you talk Oh, I don&039;t kno to explain it It&039;s just the way you turn a phrase sometilish was not his first language, or even his second

"Would you care to go out Thursday night?" he asked

"Sure Where shall we go?"

"Wherever you wish, Kara Ato see the new Mel Gibson flick"

"What time shall I pick you up?"

"Seven?"

"Seven," he repeated soleo now It&039;s late"

"So soon?"

"I&039;er, afraid the yearning he felt for her would overcoing hi forward, his lips brushed hers in a quick kiss of farewell "I shall call you at thewill be all right"

"I wish"

"What, Kara? What do you wish?"

"I wish you could take , she hadn&039;t driven since the accident It was silly to be afraid, but she couldn&039;t help feeling apprehensive

"I wish I could, too Unfortunately, I have an appoint that I cannot break"