The Nurse by Amy Cross Page A

to someone?”
    “I'm fine!” I shout back at her, before forcing a smile. “My mother's a little protective.”
    I hear the rustling of more papers.
    “And then the house stood empty for a long time,” Aidan explains. “There's very little information about what happened to Alice Bradshaw. I guess maybe the court records were sealed, something like that. The internet wasn't much help.”
    “So what you're saying is that one day she might come back, break into the house, and kill us all while we sleep?”
    I hear a hint of faint, nervous laughter.
    “To be honest,” I continue, “that story isn't actually as bad as I'd expected. I was thinking someone went nuts with an ax, and that there were bloodstains all over the walls.” I pause for a moment. “Mum hasn't really described the house to me very well, but I can tell that it's pretty rundown. Is this a bad neighborhood, or is the house just kind of sticking out as an eyesore?”
    “It does look a little out of place,” he replies. “I remember people talking about how the house might get demolished, but I guess that's not gonna happen now, not if someone's renting it out to you guys.”
    I wait for him to continue, but an awkward silence has fallen between us now. The last thing I want is for him to leave, but I can't think of anything to say, at least not anything interesting. I mean, I can think of one thing , but it's so cliched, so movie-of-the-week, I can't bring myself to say it. At the same time, I really want to see whether...
    “Can I feel your face?” I ask finally.
    Dumb.
    Very dumb.
    Again, he laughs nervously.
    “I'm sorry,” I continue, “I know that sounds like some lame scene from a TV movie, but... It's just kind of hard to picture people if I don't have any idea what they look like. I mean, your voice sounds pretty cool, but you could be anything from a dwarf to a ten-foot giant, and I don't...”
    Again, my voice trails off.
    I think I just officially blew this.
    “Sure,” he says cautiously, “I mean... Yeah, why not?”
    I take a deep breath, before reaching my hands out toward him.
    “Here,” he says, gently taking my wrists and guiding my hands until I feel his face. “This is me.”
    As my fingers settle on his features, I realize that he's definitely not a dwarf or a giant. He has smooth skin, with a hint of stubble around the jawline, but the most striking thing is the fact that I can feel his cheekbones so clearly. I don't want to freak him out completely, so I refrain from running my hands down onto his neck. Instead, I feel his forehead, and after a moment I realize that he has an eyebrow piercing. My fingers brush against what feels like a small metal ring.
    “Oh, that,” he says, sounding a little embarrassed. “I was thinking of taking it out. I got it done a few years ago at camp.”
    “It's cool,” I reply with a smile. “Got any tattoos?”
    “One on my right arm, actually, but... I don't think you'd be able to feel it.”
    I smile again as I feel his hair. Short, clipped and with a small amount of product. All things considered, I'm getting the impression that he's probably pretty hot. As I move my hands back down toward his chin, I realize I can feel him smiling, complete with cute dimples. I know it's time to stop feeling his face now, and I'm probably being needy an weird and pathetic, but it's just so nice to actually have contact with another human being.
    “Rachel?” Mum calls out from the kitchen. “Do you want a drink? Are you hungry?”
    “I'm fine!” I yell, before forcing an awkward smile. “Mum again.”
    “So do you do this to everyone you meet?” Aidan asks.
    “Huh,” I whisper, moving my hands away. “What? Oh, no, I mean...”
    I take a deep breath, trying to regather my composure and act cool again.
    “Have you always been blind?” he asks.
    I shake my head.
    “So was there some kind of accident?”
    “It happened a long time ago,” I tell him, while reaching up to make sure