Kiss

Kiss Read Free Page A

Book: Kiss Read Free
Author: Francine Pascal
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question.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œ And . . . didn’t you sort of stipulate way back when that we wouldn’t ask each other questions because if you ask me something, that would mean I get to ask you something in return?”
    This time it was Gaia who stopped in her tracks. “Right. You’re right, Ed. Forget that I asked.”
    â€œNo, no, no, no, no,” Ed said, swiveling around to face her with a mischievous grin. “Not so fast. You can’t back out now. A deal’s a deal.” He rubbed his hands together gleefully. “So — I believe the category is color blindness. What’s the question gonna be?”
    â€œDoes it make you jealous?” She was startled to hear her own voice saying those words. She hadn’t meant to say them out loud.
    Ed blinked a couple of times. “Jealous?” he repeated, sounding confused. “What do you mean?”
    Gaia chose her next words carefully. “Do you ever feel . . . upset . . . that other people can . . . experience something that you . . . can’t?”
    â€œUpset? Not really.” He shrugged. “After all, it’s not like being color-blind means everything looks black and white to me. I mean, I still see things in color. For example, I can tell that jacket of yours is the color of mucus. It’s just that certain colors look alike to me. Mostly I have difficulty telling reds from greens.” He pointed down at his feet. “Obviously.”
    Gaia self-consciously eyed her jacket. “Do you ever wish you could tell the difference?”
    Ed nodded. “Well, sure. There was a pretty ugly incident involving hot sauce a few years back.” He grimaced at the memory. “But most of those taste buds grew back. Eventually.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Traffic lights pose a theoretical problem, but I figured out at a young age that red is on top, and green is on the bottom. Aside from that, I don’t really think about it too
much . . . except when I commit the very occasional fashion faux pas and some heartless person goes and points it out to me.” He shot her a fake-hostile glance but quickly leavened it with another shrug. “But — honestly? — I can’t say I’m jealous of people who aren’t color-blind.”
    â€œWhy’s that?” Gaia prompted. Ed bit his lip, thinking. “Hmmm . . . I can’t explain it all that well, but it’s sorta like this: I can’t imagine a world with more colors than I see it in already. I just can’t. And . . . well . . . I don’t think you can truly be jealous of something if you can’t imagine having it in the first place. Besides” — he ran a finger across the arm of his wheelchair, adding casually, almost to himself — “there are better things to be jealous of.”
    Gaia gave him a rare smile. What had she done to deserve him?
    After a moment he looked away self-consciously. “Uh . . . did any ofthat make sense?”
    She nodded. “Yeah. It did.”
    â€œGood.” Ed sat up a little taller in his seat. “So, I believe now it’s my turn to ask you something.”
    Gaia took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Shoot away.” Part ofher almost wished he would ask her one of her secrets. Considering all he’d witnessed over the past three months, she supposed it was a wonder he hadn’t guessed them all already.
    Ed stroked his chin thoughtfully, gazing skyward. “Let’s see now. . . . I get to ask the mysterious Gaia Moore a question.” He was clearly savoring the moment. “Anything I want. . . . Anything at — ”
    â€œYou got five seconds, Ed.”
    â€œOkay, okay!” Ed scowled at her. Then he snapped his fingers. “Here’s one: Where’d you learn how to — no, no, scratch that.” He waved his hand in the air as if erasing an imaginary chalk mark. “I got a

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