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He said, but I thought—

I want to hear you talking, she said I like the sound of your voice There's things I want to know still

He told her about the museum he and a friend had made in his bedroom, and about the exhibition he curated at school, and about how he tried to get his first Saturday job at the archives, and about hoould one day have a s before, but she listened again He didn't tell her what had happened with Julia, what Julia had said, the unbelievable truth she'd revealed It see to say out loud She asked about his first kiss, and he told her about a girl called Rebecca She laughed and told him about a boy called Jack

There was aup and down the stairs, low voices clouded by the thin walls She looked round, bringing the tips of her fingers to her ht in her chest She looked back at him and smiled, faintly, her bottom lip dented by her two front teeth The voices faded

They looked at each other, waiting uncertainly He shivered, suddenly very cold, a draught co across the bare wooden floorboards He rubbed his hands on his trousers to warm them up

You want to hear s up beneath her, straightening her skirt around her knees

Yes, he said

Well then, she said When I was seven I fell in the water by the harbour and a man had to jump in and rescue me

Really? he said What happened? How long were you in the water for?

Oh, not very long, she said, s pleased with herself I don't think I was in any danger; they didn't have to giveupset all the sa untila scene He leant forward, fascinated

But how did you fall in? he asked her Was it cold?

I don't know really, she said I was just standing there waiting for Ma and Da to co and next I kneas in the water Aye, course it was cold, she added, rolling her eyes and crooking the arch of her eyebrow at hi a ship's hooter out at the harbour mouth, she said, so l must have turned to look and just slipped in This h - felt like he was there by the tirabbed me by the neck and pulled me over to the side, and he said don't worry love you'll be fine, or so the likes of, and I couldn't see hi hands on hts fro off the black water, and the cranes along the jetties further off, and the ship that had blown its hooter still out by the otdown at me - my ma and da, so at once and reaching doards me and it felt like they were miles away It was only once they'd hauledatmy eyes out She spoke quickly and breathlessly, her hands fluttering around herdown the hem of her skirt

He watched her talking, the rooht and loud with it, and when she'd finished he said but Eleanor, what if that man hadn't been there? What if he hadn't seen you?

Aye, she said, I know She reached out and ran her finger along the back of his hand, a little out of breath But he was, she said And he did So it's okay

He leant forward again and kissed her cheek, touching the corner of her jaith two fingers as he did so, running his fingers across her face as he pulled away, nudging the tip of one finger between her lips She kissed his finger, and he drew it back, and they both dropped their eyes, looking across the floor, looking around the darkened roo