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"I’ue with Mae What could I say while Daisy was right there coloring? So I changed the subject "Have you heard anything about the air conditioning?"

"Not yet," Mae shook her head "But it’s cooled off since the sun went down Outside, it’s not that bad at all" She looked up atout there"

I wasn’t sure if I should join hi here, I’d tried to spend very little ti inside the house, and I could really use a break, so I went outside

The one thing I would say about the outback is that the stars were aht pollution fro I had ever seen

I stepped down off the front porch to get a better look at them It was ht enchant me for a moment I heard a sound toon the end of the porch, his legs dangling over the edge

"The sky is really brilliant" I took a few steps over to him

"It is" Peter leaned forward to adotten accustomed to yet I’ve spent too much time in the city"

"Is that why you caainst the porch next to hi up His face was impossible to read, the way it alas

"You knohy I came out here," Peter answered quietly

I dropped round He had co to say that

Shortly before he left, Peter had confessed his love for me, but I couldn’t reciprocate Well, maybe parts of me could, but I refused to Not when I had Jack, and I loved hi had happened with Mae and Daisy, and Peter had seen his chance to escape froain

"So you like it out here then?" I asked "Away from all the hustle and bustle of the Cities?"

"I don’t know," Peter sighed "The weekly flights to Sydney to visit the blood bank are irritating, but the silence and isolation is nice" He paused, thinking "I don’t suppose I like it anywhere veryh"

"Was that so at ht with you" His eyes glowed green in the darkness, even without any light, and he let out a long breath "I can’t ith you I’ too "

"You didn’t say anything wrong" I shookif you were happy"

"Don’t ask ently "Don’t ask me because you don’t want to know the answer"

"How are Mae and Daisy doing?" I asked, changing the subject