Love Condemned: Beginnings Read Online Free Page B

man at her side, and the window behind her back, Miranda would have turned around and gasped in shock. Was this just a sudden rush of bravery, or could he really make her comfortable enough to say such things? It seemed almost impossible. Somewhere inside Miranda knew that there were probably a lot of people that would consider her regular behavior as childish. Perhaps they saw her as a frightened little girl. Maybe she exaggerated everything. Maybe she  was  a frightened little girl. But she'd been disappointed too many times to be able to trust that quickly again. 
    However, with Adrian, trust came frighteningly easy to her.

Chapter Six
     
    The lights went down in the bus and everyone seemed to be settling in for some sleep. Adrian heard a few people still talking, but they were in the back of the bus. It seemed that he and Miranda were alone in their own little world of these two seats.  As she settled back into her seat, she pulled out a container and popped open the lid. He was shocked when Miranda had offered to share her salad with him.
    “Uhmm…..no, that is ok. I appreciate the offer.” Adrian felt a little shy and did not know how to exactly share a salad with someone he just met. He was very happy that she was comfortable enough with him to offer, but that could just be her personality. Maybe that is normal in England.
    To Adrian, Miranda seemed to be very confident and at ease with her surroundings. Her attitude had a calming effect on him and he began to relax also.  He turned in his chair to face Miranda a little more directly and watched her start to eat her salad.
    “I do not mean to stare. I just would rather look at the face of the person I am talking to, especially now that it is dark.” Adrian laughed a little as he saw a smile cross Miranda’s face. Their eyes had caught each other for the first time directly. Adrian felt the curiosity behind her dark beautiful eyes. He felt drawn to her and was not able to look away.
    A few moments had passed before either of them realized that they had not moved. The bright white flash of lightning broke them from their trance, followed by the roar of thunder. Adrian averted his gaze and said, “I guess the storm is not letting up.” He turned back in his seat to avoid another awkward situation and let her eat in peace. The thought did not even cross his mind that he had been rude to stare while she ate.
    He reached back into his pack, pulled out a soda, and hoped that drinking something would keep him from saying too much.
    Miranda found herself eating her salad in silence - apart from the raging storm outside. She felt oddly rejected by his refusal to share the salad. She wondered why he would turn it down when he had about a day's walk behind him, and nothing else even closely resembling a proper meal. Unconsciously, she shook her head. She always thought she was a tough one to understand, but it seemed he was her equal in this.  
    As expected, Miranda could eat only half of the salad, so she put the lid back on and stashed it in her bag again. Perhaps Adri an would want it later. It had remained cold so far thanks to the air conditioning that was beneath the chair. She suspected it would remain cool for the rest of the night. Then she stood up, reaching over Adrian with a mumbled "excuse me" to throw her empty cup of ice cappuccino in the bin that was attached to one of the vertical poles in the bus. 
    Miranda dropped herself back in the chair and glanced at Adrian. Before she said anything, she took out her cell phone out of her left pocket and quickly typed a text to let her parents know she was on the bus. She had completely forgotten to do that when she arrived, but now she felt comfortable enough, and didn't think she could be startled by anything he said anymore. 
    "Do you have a girlfriend back home?" she asked without looking up from the screen, not realizing she was blushing slightly. She hadn't even thought about the question - it just