Touched by Malcolm Havard Read Free Book Online Page A

for going there, was there?
    He left the Skoda in the multi- storey attached to the shopping centre and headed through it towards the Lowry. Most of the shops in the centre were closed but a few people were heading to the cinema. Dan made his way down to the ground floor and out of the main entrance.
    He spent about ten minutes taking shots of the bridges, the Lowry itself and the Imperial War museum. It was a little too early for the golden hour, the sun not yet that close to the horizon, so he decided to walk further afield in the hope of finding some other photographic opportunities or at least kill some time whilst the light improved.
    Deep down he knew that by crossing over the water he would not be far from the apartment block where he had been that morning. He told himself that it was only partly out of curiosity that he was going there; he could partly justify it because the building might be photogenic in the evening light. Whatever, he gave into his true desire and headed towards it.
    When he got there, however, he found that he could not get the right angle to photograph the building in its best light.
    ‘Have to come back at dawn,’ he said inwardly, then laughed at himself. ‘Yeah, right, of course I’m going to do that,’ he added out loud, noticing as he did a couple of passers-by looking at him rather oddly. 'Yes? What? Can I help you?' he said waspishly, though he instantly regretted it, though he was too late to apologise; they had hurried away.
    Well who could blame them, he told himself. Talking to yourself was not a wise thing to do, he knew that, but he found himself doing it more and more around the flat in an evening; it had become a habit, it at least gave him the sound of another human voice even if it was only his own. And now he was snapping at people too for no reasons other than he was tired and irritated with himself for not tackling his loneliness head on.
    Loneliness. Was he lonely? Even with work? Well working was the only time he really saw people, and most of the people he knew were married or paired up, so he hadn't got much of a social life.
    He knew that the amount of time he spent alone just wasn’t healthy but it was so hard to break back into a place he had left eight years before.  All his friends were in London, so why had he turned his back on there? He liked Manchester, much preferred it to the capital, but was this the place to make a new start? Really?
    He was running away, hiding, and he knew it.
    He found that whilst he had been brooding, he had walked up to the entrance to the building and peered into the lobby through the plate glass doors. Tommy’s desk was empty. Dan wondered if there was anyone on at night; surely there must be? Perhaps Tommy or the night staff was doing their rounds somewhere else in the building.
    The lift door opened and Dan, feeling suddenly guilty, stepped quickly away and down the street a little way. He didn’t want anyone to think he was up to no good, casing the joint. The entrance door opened and a couple stepped out, arm in arm and passed Dan obviously heading for the town, leaving the door closing behind them. Without pausing to think or to understand why, he sprinted up the steps and just caught it before it latched shut. He held it for a moment, it was just a fraction off catching, wondering whether he should just let it close. What the hell did he actually think he was doing?
    He pushed it open and stepped inside the lobby.
    He stopped.
    Tess was stood exactly in the place that he had left her that morning.
    ‘Where have you been?’ she said.
    Dan was too stunned to speak. He just stared at her. She was dressed just the same as she was earlier in the day; jeans and the white t-shirt. This time she didn’t keep her distance, she walked right up to him. Halfway there though she paused; he saw her gaze move from him to outside, he thought he saw a momentary frown, a look of puzzlement briefly cross her face, but it passed as soon as