Page 3 (1/2)

"You speak o, a Russian! "A bit," I said with delight I could grill hi more about my birthplace! "I took a class or two" Or five My e, and I’d chosen Russian

He swept his glance around, his stance alert, as if soaze once more "Of all the lish was very good, though heavily accented "Are you looking for trouble?"

With a confidence I didn’t feel, I teasingly said, "Maybe I aht my breath since he’d first touchedsurprised that he was still holding rier by the second "No, little girl You have not" With a disgusted look, he turned away and stalked out

I stared at the door, battling my bewilderaze, hadn’t I?

Yet then he’d acted like a va sunbeam

Chapter 2

"What the hell, did you bite him?" "Did you insult his manhood?" "Let me smell your breath"

I’d stayed at the bar long enough to take oddaeneral, I tried not to take myself too seriously--I called myself "the manalyst," after all My life’s motto: Joke ’em if they can’t take a fk

A few shots later, I’d made my farewells and drunkenly set out for home, the pad I shared with Jess about five blocks away

Tons of students were out, blowing off steaht, with a full hter This close to harvest, the smell of ripe corn carried on the air--always a tiirl at heart

Yet another hand-holding couple passed azed after them with a little wistfulness Even if I had zero tolerance for le up with this winter

Someone to notice that my hands were cold and to hold them between his own