Louder Than Words by Laurie Plissner Read Free Book Online Page B

trained myself to tune it out when I want, so it’s like low static most of the time. Sort of like having a wave machine inside my head. I don’t know any different, so it doesn’t bother me, unless I really need to concentrate, which isn’t that often.”
    Then what do you do?
I wanted to know everything about this incredible person.
    “If I listen to music really loud, it drowns out most of the voices.”
    We were walking along like two perfectly normal people having a chat, and it was wonderful. I had completely forgotten the simple pleasure of conversation, learning about someone new, sharing my thoughts and opinions without the help of Stephen Hawking’s robot voice. After four years of silence, I had stopped thinking about what I had been missing, and now it all came rushing back. Five blocks had never gone so quickly—we were standing at the end of my driveway, looking up at the stone and glass monolith that was Charlotte and Stuart’s house. Even though my toes were numb and a light snow had begun to fall, I wanted to keep walking forever so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye.
    “Wow, that’s where you live?”
    Ben stood looking up at what Stuart described as a late twentieth-century homage to Frank Lloyd Wright. With its cantilevered wings, it looked as if pieces of the house were somehow floating in air. The house was at once incredibly modern but also very natural, almost part of the woods in which it sat. It was an extraordinary building, unusual for Shoreland, which was full of old colonials and Victorians dripping with gingerbread woodwork.
    It’s okay. It’s kind of cold inside. Impersonal. You know what I mean? Come in with me. I’ll show you. It’s beautiful, but I like old things better—they’re cozier
.
    Ben stood patiently as I dug for my keys at the bottom of my backpack, which he continued to hold. Perhaps I had finally met what Charlotte called the rarest of breeds, a true gentleman. It was like seeing a unicorn. There had to be something wrong with him. It was only a matter of time until I discovered his fatal flaw.
    We entered through the front door that looked like a giant tree trunk. The interior was no less dramatic than the exterior, with soaring ceilings and walls of glass facing the backyard, which was really just a giant stone patio surrounded by towering oak trees. Pale maple floors and sparsely placed leather and wood furniture made it look a little like someone had stolen half the contents. To me it was a lonely place, even when there were people in it. An enormous circular fireplace made of copper in the center of the living room was the focal point. I flipped a switch on the wall and the fire burst to life, instantly warming the room.
    “Cool. Spontaneous combustion. This place is like something out of a magazine.”
    We wandered around the first floor, Ben gaping up at the skylights and acres of white walls, punctuated by the occasional abstract painting.
    This is home. But you see what I mean. It’s not too homey
. Taking off my coat, I went into the open kitchen and put the teakettle on the stove
. I’m still freezing. Do you want something hot to drink?
    Ben looked at his watch. “I have to go soon, but I can stay for a few minutes. Tea would be good.”
    He leaned against the kitchen counter, watching me measure out the tea, fill a pitcher with milk. We stood on opposite sides of the vast granite island, waiting for the water to boil. I crossed my arms protectively over my chest. Now that I was safely back home, and I had nearly accepted Ben’s psychic ability, my mind was free to focus on my embarrassment. My ears felt hot, and my cheeks burned. Was there any possibility that this person had X-ray vision as well as super mind powers? At this point, I was ready to believe anything.
    “No, I can’t see through your clothes, silly. Who do you think I am, Superman?”
    If you can see into my mind, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to imagine you seeing