CHAPTER 10: AMY
The next morning, I was up at the crack of dawn, my head still spinning from what had happened last night. I hadn’t slept well at all, and part of that was due to the thin walls in the dorms. I knew I had it luckier than some of the students who had moved across the world to be here, some of them so young. I heard what I assumed was crying or moaning through the walls. And at first, my heart broke for whichever poor girl was so heartbroken that she was sobbing into her pillow.
By 3am, however, I had little pity for it, having been woken up twice. I actually fell asleep with my fingers in my ears, and they rang with exhaustion as I walked down the halls.
As soon as I knew Liam would be in his office I briskly walked down the hallways, trying not to draw attention to myself. In the hours since dawn, I had painstakingly done my makeup and paid more attention to my hair than I normally did. I put on the one pair of high heels I owned, trying not to pitch forward when I walked.
The hallways were mostly empty. The school officially opened at 8am but classes didn’t start until 9am, and so I passed very few students.
Liam’s door was closed, but I could see him through the shadowy glass window. Taking a deep breath, and checking my reflection once more, I knocked twice.
“Yes?” His reply was brisk and curt through the door.
“It’s Amy,” I said, my voice shaking. “I was hoping we could discuss those…questions I had…”
There was a silence and a shuffling of papers. Suddenly, the door opened. Liam stood there, looking crisp and sharp in the morning light; his shirt rolled up to his elbows and his pants perfectly pressed. The smell of a woodsy cologne drifted from his neck, and when he moved his arm to usher me in, I saw the ripple of lean muscle.
Once I was inside, Liam closed the door behind me, and sat on the edge of the desk, watching me intently.
“How um…” I gulped. “How are you?”
“I’m fine,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine. “How are you?”
“Also fine.” I blushed, looking down at my shoes. For a moment, neither of us said anything, and then we both spoke at once.
“About last night…”
“Amy, last night…”
We both stopped, and laughed, awkwardly, nervously. Finally, he spoke again.
“Amy, last night was a mistake.”
“Right,” I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to ignore the feeling of my stomach hitting the floor. “It was late, I was …clumsy and you were…not yourself and….I mean, of course it was a mistake, this is something that can’t happen, but don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” I rose quickly. I just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
“Amy, Amy, Amy,” he waved his hand with a small smile, motioning for me to sit back down. “Last night was a mistake because you didn’t deserve to be treated that way. You’re a young woman, a respectable young woman and I should have approached you with respect … asked to court you, rather than act like a drunken lout.”
My jaw fell open, as I watched him pace the room slowly. He turned back to look at me, his eyes wide and full of question.
“So may I?”
I met his eyes, surprised.
“May you … what?”
“May I court you?” he asked. I almost fell off my chair.
“Uh…” came out of my throat, as he advanced and reached for my hand. His fingers folded over mine.
“Since the first time I saw you in the audition, you have captivated me for reasons I can’t explain. Your talent, your grace, your beauty...” He was now just an inch away from my face, his warm breath making me blush.
The kiss was different from last night. Last night was frantic, passionate and fiery. Today was soft and tender. We savored each moment and made sure every touch was well worth the wait. The effect was the same, and when we finally broke apart, I was panting again. I had never felt anything like this before. My sexuality had always been something I pushed away. After all, when you grow up with HIV, you aren’t exactly going to be having one night stands if you are any kind of decent person.
“Can we?” I asked, meaning a million different things. Up close, he was even more gorgeous; his eyes glinting in the soft sunlight; his hair perfectly styled; his skin glowing with our passion. He shrugged, with a small smile.
“I make the rules around here,” he said, leaning back to sit on the desk. “And I don’t see why not. As long as you don’t publicly announce it.”
“I guess I’ll cancel the National Press conference at 9 then.” I said. A cheeky grin spread across my face and he nipped at my lips again, with a good-natured growl.
“I’ve never done this before, Amy,” he said, reading my mind. “It’s not like with every new wave of students I find myself a hot date.”
“I’ve never had a hot date…or a date…” I looked away, embarrassed. He smiled, gently, brushing hair back from my forehead.
“Well, then this will be a first time for both of us, won’t it?” I nodded. “Although…Amy, we should lay down some ground rules.”
“Like what?” I asked, hesitant to hear the answer. My heart was beating a million miles a minute at the sheer excitement of the situation. Liam thought a moment, before responding. More than anything, I wanted him to kiss me again, to take me in his arms. It was hard to focus, staring at his beauty and knowing now that I could have it if I wanted.
“We have to be careful where we are seen. Of course, there are things we won’t be able to avoid. Like the fact that I can’t take my eyes off you in class.” The statement made me blush, and I looked down. “But we must be careful about chatting too much in the hallways, or before or after class.” I nodded, agreeing to this. “Also, we must be careful where we are seen. I know a way to your dorm…If you wanted to have dinner there, or perhaps my office…No one will question a new student wanting to spend extra hours catching up.”
“But maybe we should do things off campus?” I suggested, getting into the spirit of things.
“Far off campus,” he nodded, agreeing. “I have a car, there’s a place a few towns over. But my celebrity status doesn’t allow for much privacy. Perhaps you’ll have to wait a few years if you want to stroll down the streets hand in hand.”
The fact that he was already talking about our future sent a warm feeling through my body, and I grinned.
“I think I can manage that,” I said, with a nod, although part of me had forgotten he was a celebrity. Since I had gotten to know him, he was just Liam, the headmaster, my teacher, and now, my boyfriend. He grinned.
“Good,” he said, standing up. “Shall I see you tonight then? You have a lot to catch up on. But perhaps we also have a lot to catch up on. I would like to know everything about you, Amy. Your hopes, your dreams, your aspirations. What you want from the world, and from life.”
“I …” I paused, trying to think of answers to those questions. When none came, I leaned in again, and kissed him. He placed his hands on my waist, gripping me tightly.
“And I would like to know about you,” I whispered, looking up to meet his eyes. Already, as if by magic, I could see a different person from the celebrity the whole world thought that they knew.
And so this was how the next few weeks panned out. Secret meetings, early morning rendezvous, empty classrooms and dark hallways. But it wasn’t all passion and fire. One morning, I opened my door to check for the daily school paper that was left at all the dorm rooms. Instead, I found a small item, wrapped in the daily paper.
Curious, I picked it up, looking up and down the hallways. However, there was no one there. Opening the package, a smile spread over my face. It was a tiny plastic Oscar, with my name sharpied onto it. I rolled my eyes, laughing a bit as I turned it over in my hand. On the bottom, a sharpied heart was drawn. To my right, I heard a noise and looked up, with a smile.
“Creative,” I said, as Liam approached out of nowhere as usual. He smiled, looking around to double check that the hallways were empty. And then, he kissed the top of my head, leading me into my dorm room.
“I thought you would appreciate that,” he said, bending in for a deeper kiss. I sighed happily, putting my arms around him. He smelled good, like wood smoke and whisky, something I couldn’t describe but was instantly addicted to. His tongue explored my mouth, and the intense passion in the early morning caused me to stumble. Before I knew it, we were pressed against a wall, my breath coming in gasps. With a devilish smile, he pulled back. “Good morning.”
“Good morning,” I said, sitting on my bed. He sat beside me, pulling open the brown bag he had been holding. From inside it wafted breakfast smells and he produced blueberry muffins. “Did you harass my father as soon as he got in the door? Only he makes these.”
“I did. Perks of being headmaster,” he replied, settling back against my headboard and taking a bite. He closed his eyes, and I watched his face a moment.
“You look tired,” I said, and he opened his eyes.
“Mmm. Rough night.”
“Doing what?” I asked, and Liam shrugged.
“Wild partying, obviously,” he said, although I could tell his tone was sarcastic. I could tell he didn’t want me to pry, and so I didn’t. I moved up beside him, biting into the familiar taste.
“Yeah, me too,” I replied and he laughed. “Are you alright, though?”
“Fine now that I’m sitting beside you.” He gave me a lazy smile, leaning his head against mine. “There used to be a time when a night of…that was all that would satisfy me. But now, I look forward to breakfast with you a lot more.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, and he shrugged, taking my hand and squeezing it.
“You’re all that need right now,” he replied, and I felt like nothing else mattered in the world but me at that moment.
“Do you believe in love?” I blurted out, and Liam turned to me, sharply. “Hypothetically, of course. In general. I’m not going all serious on you.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t. I haven’t…before. You?”
“I think there are many cases of love in the world,” I said. “But…I don’t think true love is true until it’s returned. So you can be in love…but not until the other person returns it does it become real.”
“And you’ve seen this?” He asked, fixated on my eyes. I didn’t want to move, locked in his gaze.
“Not seen, not really. But heard about it. My parents … everyone talked about them. And my dad still talks about my mom like she’s around. Not in a creepy way. She was the love of his life. She still is. And…” I traced a pattern on my bedspread, looking away. “Romeo loved Juliette, but it wasn’t true love until she started paying attention. So you can be in love … but not true love?” I shrugged, embarrassed by my girly outpour of feelings. But Liam just took my chin, making me look at him again.
“That was beautiful, Amy. And probably right.” He kissed the top of my head, and then wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight. I shifted so I was on top of him, and he grinned like I had just given him award. Compared to his body, I was small and thin, and I found a way to fit perfectly on top of him. When I was with him, I tried to forget all the things we couldn’t do, and instead focused on all the things we could do. The sandwiches quickly forgotten, our kisses led to wandering hands, up and down each other’s bodies.
Other times, it wasn’t so serious. I remember walking into the theater early one morning, for Beauty and the Beast rehearsal, when I heard someone whisper my name. I spun around, but there was no one there.
Amy came the voice again, and I looked up, my heart thudding with fear. But again, there was nothing.
“Hello?” I called, slowly walking towards the stage.
AMMMY. The voice got a little louder, and seemed to be coming from all around me. I took a deep breath, climbing onto the stage. Up there, I felt like I could see everything, and I was safe.
“Who’s there? Who is this? Whoever it is, this isn’t funny.”
“Amy, you are destined for the stage.”
The voice was echoing and bouncing off the walls. It was a man that was all I could indentify. Alone in the theater, I don’t think I had ever been so scared. I put my hands at my sides, as if any amount of foreign space would open me for danger.
“How do you know?” I asked, looking up into the skylights.
“Because I’m watching.” Came the echo and I buried my head in my hands. Stories of Phantom of the Opera that we read in class last week, along with real theater ghost stories, came flooding back to my mind.
“And also…” the voice echoed, coming from all around me. “You are destined to not do your homework tonight.”
I froze, pulling my hands away. A light came on in the projector booth, and Liam popped his head out.
“…because we’re having dinner.”
“I HATE YOU!” I screamed at him, half laughing. Liam leaned against the balcony railing with a seductive smile on his face.
“So what do you think of our new sound system? It’s all for the show.”
“Argh, you.” I tried to compose myself, but it was impossible with Liam looking down on me like that. “Come down here so I can punish you.”
“I like the sound of that,” he grinned, moving down the stairs. I stalked towards him, but he caught me in his arms, causing a giggle to escape from my lips. “So tell me how you are going to punish me.”
“I’m not. Going. To. Kiss. You. All. Day.” It was hard to get out in-between his onslaught of kisses, but I finally managed. “I swear it.”
“Then I shall turn to dead at nightfall, my love,” he said, giving me an old fashioned bow. I rolled my eyes, heading back to the stage.
“Come on, Liam, let’s rehearse.”
There was one night however, that would stick in my mind forever.
We had a half day at school one Friday and Liam and I had long since agreed to spend the rest of the day together. However, it wasn’t until nearly three o’clock that he knocked on my door.
I opened the door quickly, and he practically threw himself in. We had to be careful not to let anyone see him entering my dorm room too frequently. Already, questions were arising and the girls knew I was the “Teacher’s Pet”.
“Hey,” I said, reaching to take his coat. Today, he wore dark jeans and a blue shirt, slightly open at the neck. He was absolutely perfect and I felt a bit bad that all I had on were my jeans and a tee-shirt. “Meetings run late?”
“There’s a problem with Beauty and the Beast,” he said, rolling his eyes as he went to sit on my bed. “Half of the committee feels that the publicity of me playing the lead wouldn’t be worth depriving a student of the role.”
“What?” I turned, stunned. “But you have to be Beast. I’m Beauty.”
“I know,” he wiggled his eyebrows at me, which made me laugh. “But perhaps they’re right. I could at least cast someone for the role, and have them play it most of the time. The one performance I do it will be a special one for the press. And to teach this school how to act.” He threw himself backwards, lying on my bed. I came to sit beside him, folding my legs under me. This was often a complaint of Liam, that most of the school was only it in for the fame and glory.
“Can I act?” I asked, even though I already knew his answer. He turned his head towards me; a smile playing off his lips.
“Amy, when you act I forget that anything else exists but the world you are creating. Somehow, untrained, you understand more than the students who’ve had twelve years here. You’re a diamond in the rough … an oasis in the desert. You’re a…” We were interrupted by his stomach growling. I laughed.
“I’m a good girlfriend who feeds you good food, and that’s the only reason you’re here,” I said, and he leant on his elbows.
“That’s part of it.”
I had prepared Oatmeal cookies last night when I went home to visit my father, and I brought out a plate of them now, placing them between us on the bed.
“How long can you stay?” I asked, and he stifled a yawn.
“A few hours of quality time, at least. I was wondering if you had given any thought to the dance class that was added to the semester.”
I shrugged.
“Only if it starts at a kindergarten level. I’m not a dancer. Who’s teaching it?”
“A dance teacher from Russia,” he said. “And a few guest instructors, like Porsche, when I can get them.”
“Forget that then,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll look like an elephant in a tutu.”
“But a very cute one,” He said, poking at the cookies.
“How did you meet Porsche?” I asked, and he cocked his head.
“Why?”
“Just curious,” I said, with a casual shrug. He took my hand, squeezing it.
“Amy, I told you, there’s absolutely nothing to be jealous of.”
“I know,” I replied, looking out the window as a kite flew by. “I just…want to know. Since she’s your closest friend, right?”
“Right,” he thought for a moment, and then shrugged. “We met at a party years ago. She was the life of the party, and I fell into her. Literally tripped. She’s a fun girl, and there are things about us that click, like the fact that we’re both performers. But really, Amy, it’s not like that.” He pulled me closer, laying a light kiss on my lips. “Truly, you’re the only person I have eyes for.”
I nodded, savoring the kiss. There was something about Liam’s eyes that told me there was more to the story, but I didn’t question it. I felt, at least regards to me that he was telling the truth, and that was all that mattered.
When I had told Sarah the whole story, she had of course questioned everything; his friendship with Porsche, the legality of the fact that he was my teacher, the age gap, everything. Sometimes I think she wanted me to film every aspect of my life and play it back for her.
Of course, I had not told my father. I couldn’t imagine how severe his reaction would be. Dad also wanted me to account for my actions every moment of the day, and I knew he was starting to notice the huge gaps of time that went un-talked about - the times I snuck away to spend with Liam.
I wasn’t sure if any of the other students or faculty members had noticed either. I mean, before this, the girls knew I was Liam’s favorite, and I suffered for it. But nothing had changed in that respect, so perhaps they hadn’t noticed. As for the faculty, I was quite sure they’d bring it to his attention and not mine but he hadn’t said anything to me about needing to be more careful. The only one who I thought might be in on the secret was his secretary, who kept her face deliberately blank as I came and left his office day after day.
She must have heard the goings on, who couldn’t. Liam and I could entertain each other perfectly for days just cracking jokes, or rehearsing. But more often than not, when we had private time, that’s not what we were doing. I was sitting in his lap, my legs wrapped around him, as we made out, or running my hands up and down his chest as we sank to the floor. He was going to drive me crazy before the year was up, I could tell.
And although it was wonderful, it was the times we sat and talked that I enjoyed the most.
Taking the remote, I turned on the television, flipping through the channels.
“What are we watching?” asked Liam, his mouth full of cookies.
“We…are…watching…this,” I finally landed on Shakespeare in Love, the opening credits just rolling. He shrugged and I settled back into his arms, munching on a cookie myself. As the movie began to play, I closed my eyes, feeling warm, comfortable and safe against Liam. He gave me a squeeze, wrapping his strong arms around me, and we settled further into the pillows. Soon the cookie tray was empty. We put it aside and sprawled out on the bed. Cuddling close to him as the movie went on, I fell asleep.
My cell phone ringing woke me up with a jolt. The room was a lot darker than the last time my eyes were open and the TV was now playing an endless infomercial. I leapt up to grab it.
“Hello?” I asked, frantic and still groggy with sleep.
“Can I speak to Amy?” said a female voice. I recognized the drone of a call center in the background, and rolled my eyes.
“No, she’s out right now,” I said and hung up, turning back to Liam who sat up abruptly, also startled by the noise.
“What time is it?” he asked, running a hand over his face.
“Uh…6” I said, and he jumped up immediately. “Everything ok? Liam?” I grabbed his arm as he shot past me, taking his coat from the hanger. “Are you ok? You look a bit pale.”
“I’m fine, but I have to go,” he said, not looking at me. He laid a quick kiss on my cheek and hurried towards the door, not even pausing for a cautious minute to make sure the hall was empty. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Amy,” he said, and practically slammed the door behind him. I stood in the middle of the floor confused, and wondering how a telemarketer cell phone call had possibly offended him.
Mind you, we had never fallen asleep together. While comfortable for me, I realized it may have made him feel uncomfortable - especially this early on. With a shrug, I switched off the TV and pulled my hair into a bun. I had homework to finish anyway.
Around 10pm, I closed my books, sighing. I was well into the work I needed to do, and I could have kept going, had it not been for that sound again. Every evening, around this time, I could hear someone crying as if their soul was breaking through the walls. At first I assumed it was a homesick student, or maybe a student who had a bad day - something that would be temporary and go away. But this was continuous as if they were on a timer. Every night at dark, it sounded like someone was being tortured.
I checked my phone for messages; something to distract me. It seemed the whole world was busy tonight, and there was still no word from Liam. I stood up to grab a sweater, checked my appearance in the mirror briefly and went out the door.
The hallways were quiet and empty. I knew the sound was always coming from my left side, and so I ventured that way, careful to make sure my steps were quiet. Just a little way down, to my left, was a hallway that led to a fire escape. No one ever went down there. The light was constantly broken and the door was always locked. But, glancing back to my room, I realized it would make sense if the sound was coming from there.
I walked down the hallway, using my phone as a flashlight as I neared the end of it. Biting my lip, I casually tried the door, looking around for another alternative. To my surprise, it was open this time.
I looked up quickly, to make sure I wasn’t about to set off a trip wire and a fire alarm. One thing I had learned from sneaking around the school in my younger days was what the alarm system looked like. However, this door had no wiring, just the sign, and I wondered if it was just a decoy.
There was a set of stairs behind the door, again badly lit. Using my phone, I could see that there was dust everywhere, aside from the middle, where there were footprints. Someone had been here, and recently as well.
Taking a deep breath to steel myself, I started down the steps, making sure my foot was firmly on one step before I went to the next one. I was definitely moving in the right direction, the noise was getting louder.
At the bottom of the steps was a huge steel door that looked like it was left over from another century. The moaning was coming from in there, and the door was slightly ajar. Even though I knew I shouldn’t, I couldn’t resist. Creeping forward, I peered through the crack.
What I saw was a sight I will never forget.
Liam was chained to the wall, cuffs around his wrists and hands that he was trying to break free of. But it was his face that would stick in my mind forever. Pale as a corpse, his teeth nearly poking out of his mouth in their length and sharpness, his eyes were black, and his muscles seemed more defined. He didn’t look like the Liam I knew at all, more like a dark shadow of himself. What softened me was that he seemed to be in pain.
“Liam?” I squeaked, my voice barely above a whisper. His head snapped up and he snarled at me, causing me to jump back.
“Amy,” he said his voice devoid of emotion. I turned, but he reached out, confined by the chains. “Wait, Amy….don’t go. You’re going to have to find out eventually, anyway.”
“Find out WHAT?” I asked, unable to take my eyes off what he had become. Liam laughed, although there was no humor in his tone.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Look at me. Look at me and tell me what do you think?”
“Are you…sick?” I asked, taking a step forward again. “Is there something wrong? Because I can deal with being sick, Liam, obviously.”
“And part of the reason I can deal with you is that you are,” he said, looking straight into my eyes. “Your blood does not smell as tempting as a normal person would. Your illness is my blessing.”
I stared at him, shocked.
“How could you say that?” I asked. “How could you say that…?”
“Amy,” he shook his head, and then groaned again. Out of sympathy, I took another step forward, even though I was trembling in fear. “You don’t have to be afraid. These chains have held me almost every night for three years. They’ll hold now. And even if they don’t…I won’t hurt you, Amy. Ever.”
Suddenly, it dawned on me, all the facts swimming in my head. Stunned, I felt dizzy, and sat on the ground, a few feet from Liam. I held my head, trying to make sense of the clues he was giving me.
“What are you, Liam?” I asked, finally.
“What do you think?” he asked, baring his fangs to me. The word burned on my tongue, but I didn’t want to say it. I felt like I was going to pass out.
“Is this a joke?”
“Yes, Amy, it’s a joke. An elaborate hoax, and every night I visit the hair and makeup department in the hopes of tricking you,” he turned his face towards mine, and I saw the scars of tears.
“Why are you crying?” I asked, sympathy overtaking me. He winced.
“Because it hurts.”
“Why?” I was here now, and whether I believed him or not, I wanted answers.
“Legend has taught you to believe that vampires are forever in their demonic form, day and night, and can’t walk in the sun,” he said, leaning against the wall. “But the truth is, the reason you don’t see vampires in the sunlight is because we are human during the day. And every night, as darkness takes the city, we die and change. It’s a painful process and we crave blood every second of the night. And then, as the sun rises, our hearts start to beat again, our demonic form recedes, and we change back.”
“That night. We first kissed,” I spoke in a voice I felt was not my own. “I saw…you looked different.”
“Yes. I shouldn’t have stayed that long,” he said, shaking his head. “But then, we didn’t expect you.”
“We.” I repeated. “Porsche knows?”
He laughed at that.
“Yes, she knows. And unlike Peter, who thinks I should stay in every night and fight it, Porsche encourages me to be who I am. If I go out at night, it’s always with her.”
“Peter locks you up here?” I said, aghast and he nodded.
“Don’t look so surprised, Amy, it’s my choice. As much as I crave blood, I don’t really want to spend every night on a killing spree.”
“Do you?” I asked, watching him. “Do you kill?”
“Sometimes,” he said, although he seemed truly sorry for it. “As the popular stories go, we can survive on animal blood, although it’s not always very fun.”
I fell silent. I couldn’t deny what he was saying. There was too much evidence in front of me.
“Is that why you hang out with Porsche? Her blood is infected?”
“And she’s fun,” he gave me a cheeky grin. “But nothing compares to you.”
“And that’s why you chose me.” I said. “At the audition.”
This time, his face darkened, and he shook his head.
“No, Amy. I chose you because you truly were the best. Something drew me to you, and I didn’t know what it was. But you weren’t the only girl who tried out who had a chronic illness. You weren’t the first and you won’t be the last. It was your raw talent that got you chosen … that’s all.”
I took a deep breath, drawing my knees up to my chest.
“Do you sleep?” I asked, unable to rein in my curiosity. He nodded.
“I do. You saw me do it. Just not regularly. We don’t need as much sleep as humans, so usually, a quick nap from dawn to the start of school does me fine, and perhaps a power nap during the day. Nothing to throw my schedule off,” he shrugged.
“So it hurts?” I asked, and he nodded.
“I die. And then, just when I get used to it, I live again.”
A silence came over us. I placed my head on my knees, trying to make sense of everything that had happened. My head was spinning. It seemed unreal and yet I couldn’t deny what was staring me in the face.
“Are you immortal, Liam?” I asked, and he nodded, watching my face. I knew I could hide the reaction that came over it. Looking immortality in the face, and challenging it with my own weak body; my own clear mortality, made my chest ache. Tears sprung to my eyes, and although I turned away, I knew that Liam still saw them.
“It’s not as good as it’s cracked up to be,” he said.
“How long have you been this way?” I asked, visions running through my head of Liam fighting in the civil war and living like a cave man.
“3 years,” he replied. “That’s why I left Hollywood. But I couldn’t leave acting altogether, I just couldn’t. The years I spent in Hollywood had already made me push people away, except for superficial friendships, so it wasn’t hard to continue that way. Peter was…the only one I remained close to and the only one I kept by my side through all this. He’s very understanding…of all of it. Of this, the old ways, the curse.”
I cocked my head.
“The curse?” I asked, and Liam shook his head at me.
“A story for another time, Amy.”
We fell into silence for a moment, and then I asked him the question that had been playing on my mind the whole time.
“How the hell did this happen to you?”
He watched me silently for a few minutes. It was hard to look at his face but I held my gaze.
“Would you like to know?”
I nodded, and he took a deep breath.
“Then perhaps you should make yourself more comfortable, because it’s a long story.”