page0081.mm

<p>Page 81.</p>
<p>&ldquo;Take off the glove,&rdquo; Lola
said. &ldquo;Come on. Let me see your fingers.&rdquo;</p>
<p>I pulled my hand out of her reach.
&ldquo;Wait. My fingers are attracted to you.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s mutual. Stop
teasing.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t understand. Not
romantically.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Lola looked confused. Then she realized
what I meant, and stepped back. As she did, I shifted backward, as if
I had been bracing myself against a force too subtle to notice until
it was gone.</p>
<p>&ldquo;What was that?&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not sure.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Charlie, I&rsquo;m scared.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s okay,&rdquo; I said,
although I didn&rsquo;t know if that was true, not at all. &ldquo;Wait
here. I need a scanner.&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;What did they put in me?&rdquo;</p>
<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll find out.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Her eyes filled with tears. She was
about to break down. And then we would have a problem, because I
wasn&rsquo;t sure I could move any closer to her without damaging one
of us. But she sucked in a breath and nodded. &ldquo;Hurry.&rdquo;</p>