ÿþ<HTML> <HEAD> <Title>His Space was Growing Inwards</title> <STYLE TYPE="text/css"> <!-- BODY { font-family:verdana; font-size:9pt; } Table { font-family:Verdana; font-size:9pt; color:6600cc } --> </style> </head> <BODY link="#0000ff" bgcolor="#6699ff" bgproperties="fixed" background="http://www.shapefive.com/matan4il/background.png" text="#663399" alink="#ff99ff" vlink="#cc99ff" > <br> <P> <center> <table width="760" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="10"> <tr> <td width="760" height="430" bgcolor="#A192FC" align="center" valign="middle"> <img src="http://www.shapefive.com/matan4il/fics/images/hisspace.jpg"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="760" bgcolor="#ccffff" align="left" valign="top" style="font-family:verdana; font-size:9pt"><font color="# C97DDF"> <b>Pairing:</b> Le Viggorli<br> <b>Summary:</b> AU in which Orlando doesn't recover right away from falling off the roof.<br> <b>Genre:</b> A fic of fragments. I hope you'll trust me.<br> <b>Disclaimer:</b> Definitely didn't happen. Check out the hospital records and you'll see.<br> <b>Rating:</b> Overall, NC-17 because I'm greedy, even when I'm writing.<br> <b>Warnings:</b> Well, a man fell off a roof. You can expect some form of angst or another.<br> <b>Beta:</b> I get to thank and adore the most wonderful Soar38, who gives me love and calls me petal!<br> <b>Banner:</b> Is the generosity and patience of my lovely, smoochable CJ!<br> <b>This chapter is dedicated:</b> To friends who make the world go round, Mrs_jack_turner and Silvan_lady, as well as to people whose comments make me wish I'll get to know them better, Avaro_naeth, Shannara and Panthea.<p> 64<br> He looks for Viggo, but the man isn't registered.<br> He wrote Dr. Landon and told him they were wrong to cast Viggo off, when he was the main reason behind Orlando's eventual success. He doesn't ask whether the man knows the address of his former caretaker.<p> The Delishoons make themselves comfortable in his kitchen while he sips on tea and looks outside.<p> 65<br> He picks up a magazine off the floor. He needs to sort out his mail. He needs to be practical again. It always was an effort for him.<p> He thinks of going back to the Drama school he left, thinks of possibly changing his career and going into physiotherapy.<br> He can't decide, so he lets it go and looks for a day job in the local newspaper.<p> 66<br> He visits Safi every Monday and Thursday.<br> A children's book starts writing itself under his hands.<br> He shows Safi, who approves and even prepares a few drawings for it.<p> 67<br> She surprises him today.<br> "Don't tell them that I told you," she whispers.<br> "What have you told me?"<br> "Where Viggo lives."<br> "You didn't tell me that."<br> "Because you still haven't guessed it." Her eyes glimmer.<p> She lets him struggle for a while before they set a game for it, the 21 questions game. He tries to be methodical.<br> First he determines that it's in North London and then he zooms in on the right neighborhood, but when he tries for the street, she stops him.<br> "It was at a café. My father saw him there and talked to him. He told me all about it and said that Viggo goes there every day. Orlando, you'll tell him that I miss him too, right?"<p> 68<br> It's so obvious to Safi that he's going to see Viggo.<p> In his small kitchen, over an endless string of tea cups, Orlando teaches himself not to hope, not to expect, never to get too excited when reality can be so bitter.<p> He sees Safi eight more times before he thinks he may be ready.<br> He knows she won't ask him anything. <br> He tries to explain it to her anyway, in his head.<br> He thinks he can be happy just for having seen the man he loves again.<p> 69<br> He counts his steps.<br> He walks back.<br> Fifty-nine minutes pass.<p> He refuses to let numbers or sheep dictate his pace.<br> Still, he turns around and walks straight to the little café on the corner.<p> 70<br> The leaves of the great trees are red and yellow in their longing for the Earth beneath him and Orlando makes quite a picture against them, his hair shoved to the sides and back by the wind, which wanted to have a closer look at the handsome face as well, no doubt. His face is a little more tanned now and in his black, tight golf shirt and long autumn coat that's also being played around with by the wind.<p> Viggo's hand hovers over his cup of Mate, its motion taken away.<P> <b>To be continued...</b><br> <center>~ <a href="hisspace09.htm">Chapter nine</a> ~</center><br> <center>~ <a href="hisspace11.htm">Chapter eleven</a> ~</center><br> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="760" bgcolor="#ccffff" align="center" valign="top" style="font-family:verdana; font-size:9pt"><font color="# C97DDF"> <a href="http://www.shapefive.com/matan4il/feedback/hisspace10/hisspace10.htm">This fic's feedback page</a><br> </td> </tr> </table> <script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-3647019-1"; urchinTracker(); </script> </body></html>