5. Brother 10

5.

Nitram was waiting for her in the same place. Again, as in the previous meeting, he shook hands vigorously. This time he was without a bag. And Marta looked completely different - not in a fur coat and a fox hat, but in a sky-blue jacket to match the color of her eyes, a red cap with a pompom and a scarf of the same color, she looked like a teenager.

They went up to the Lastivka cafe on the Bolshevik, and while Marta was eating sweet dessert with gusto, Nitram, resting his head in his hands, did not take his eyes off her. His eyes smiled and seemed to caress her. Martha tried not to meet his glance - he admired her too frankly. The view from the window - a small square, a platform in front of the metro, lined with kiosks, a roar of cars rushing past, the interior of the cafe and visitors occupied her attention. But the embarrassment grew. “Why to gaze like that? One can choke!"

“Today is good weather,” - she said politely.
- And the last time?
- Well, then it was cold!
- Were we cold? - He asked smoothly.

Her cheeks flushed, and she considered it a blessing not to answer.

- How did you spend your day yesterday?
- Good. First I went to courses, here, to the studio, then in the evening with my brother to the cinema ... "Nostalgia" by Tarkovsky. This is our very famous movie-director. He immigrated to France and missed homeland very badly. He made two films there - this one and another "Sacrifice", I have not seen it yet ... And then he died.

He listened in silence, but his eyes spoke. And it became more and more difficult for Martha to hide her embarrassment.

- Let’s go!
- Do you still want something - drink, eat? – He asked.
- No, I don’t.
- Then let's go ... How old is your brother? - He asked in the street.
- Sasha? Like me, he's six months older. We are friends with him.
- And the others? Did you say four? - there was a doubt in his voice.
- Yes, right, I have four brothers. The oldest is Sergey. He doesn't actually live with us, he's already married, has a daughter ... but they don't get along with his wife. They live with her parents, and he is so ... uncompromising, not easy to communicate.
- How old is he?
- Twenty-four ... Then Vova, my favorite brother, and the youngest Kostya, he is now in the fifth grade, and Vova is in the eighth. And how old are you?
- You already asked.
- Yeah? I don’t remember…
- Twenty six.

He watched her with new interest: different clothes - a different person. He barely managed to suppress a smile: something funny appeared in her, some mischief and freedom of movement. She was easily embarrassed under his gaze and began to speak again - the first thing that came to mind. She seemed artless and very young, and he could hardly believe that it was her he sought with such zeal and could not get enough of these lips.

An ordinary girl, there are a lot of the same around. Her present appearance somehow did not fit with the impression she made on him last time. But a strange thing: she again, in a new way, began to excite him. The closer they got to the hostel, the faster his steps became.

The feelings and thoughts of his companion were of the opposite nature: she liked to walk, look at him, talk about everything and did not want to be in the room again.

She understood she was doing something stupid and painfully searched for some excuse to avoid it. Inside her, the voice of protest sounded louder, the revival gradually disappeared, and the steps became more and more uncertain...

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