Spark(16)

“That must be prime, seeing all those countries.” His voice held a note of yearning.
She didn’t ask him if he’d traveled much. She didn’t need to. It was clear Aran wanted to go places, but hadn’t. Yet.
“Thing is,” she continued, “sometimes I don’t even know where VirtuMax is sending me until I get there. I have an assistant that knows my schedule weeks in advance. She packs everything I need and makes sure it’s waiting for me on arrival.”
His eyes widened. “Don’t you have anything that goes with you? Favorite shirt or something?”
“I have a few possessions, but I prefer to travel light. Makes things easier.”
She couldn’t afford to get too attached, to things or people. Two and a half years on the road had taught her that. Whether it was a broken heart when she had to leave her first boyfriend behind, or the treasured necklace that had been stolen from her bags, she’d had to learn how to let go.
“Since you were coming here, I’m sure you have a raincoat,” he said. “Dig it out, because the best parts of this city are outside.”
As they finished eating lunch, Aran described the highlights of his home town: the outdoor fair, the famous skyscraper, the hidden cove by the sea, reachable only by walking along old train tracks.
“And of course,” he said, “no visit is complete without sampling the ice cream stands all over the place.”
“Isn’t it a little cold for that?” She pushed her empty plate away and started unwrapping one of the chocolate bars, the purple foil smooth under her fingers.
“We don’t care.” He grinned at her. “That’s why they’re combo vendors. Ice cream and coffee. Or hot chocolate, if you prefer.”
“I do.” She broke a square off the bar and offered it to him. “How could you tell?”
“Lucky guess.”
He accepted the chocolate, then reached over and took her hand. It was a natural gesture, and she was too surprised to pull away.
“You’ve been rubbing your palm this whole time,” he said. “Let me.”
“I have?” She knew her hand ached, but hadn’t paid much attention.
It was bold of him to reach out like that, yet it made her feel normal—like she wasn’t the untouchable sim star everybody else saw. She’d stop him if he pushed her boundaries too far, but the novelty of his gesture kept her silent, and strangely content.
His fingers wrapped around the back of her hand, strong and warm, while his thumb massaged her open palm. It was a delicious feeling, in all kinds of ways. Blood rushed through her, while the ache in her hand eased. She let out a long breath, and he stopped.
“Too hard?”
“No—it’s perfect.” She probably should ask him to stop, but it felt so good.
Not just the massage, which was great, but the sensation of touch, of someone’s skin against her own. She felt like a drooping plant getting much-needed water.
Finally, he stopped and pulled his hand away. It was hard to tell with his dusky skin, but she thought he was blushing.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much. Maybe I should hire you to come on tour as my hand massager. Put you on the VirtuMax payroll.” She was only half joking.
Something flashed through his eyes, and he sat back a little. She didn’t know what she’d said, but the closeness she’d felt between them was gone.
“I need to get back to work,” he said, tugging on the badge slung around his neck. “Thanks for lunch.”
Disappointment curled through her, along with the realization she hadn’t had a chance to ask him more about his time in Feyland.
“Can’t you stay a bit longer?”
He stood. “Sorry—my shift is about to start and I don’t want to be late.”
Clearly she didn’t have time now to ask probing questions about his in-game experience, but she wasn’t going to let this go. As a member of the Feyguard, she couldn’t.
“Are you free tonight?” she asked.
“Maybe.” His tone was cautious.
“VirtuMax is throwing a party,” she said, trying to sound casual. “If you want, I’ll put you on the guest list. Bring a friend.”#p#分页标题#e#
Did he have a girlfriend? She didn’t like how the thought stabbed. Well, she’d find out—and it wasn’t like she could start dating the guy herself. She was leaving first thing Monday morning.
“That would be great,” he said, and sounded like he meant it.
She walked him over to the door. They stood there awkwardly for a moment, not quite touching.
“See you later, then,” she said. “It’s in suite 204.”
“Okay. Later.”