Last night had been a mistake, an impulsive, hot-headed mistake of the most adolescent kind. They shouldn’t have kissed. Nara would surely agree. They’d been lonely, two lost souls in their bleak and empty new apartments. He couldn’t remember exactly how the kiss had happened – they’d been talking, standing close, examining the map spread on the table. She’d pointed out the village where her family came from, the village where she’d never been welcome. She’d shown Leo the route by which her grandfather used to smuggle fleeces into China, explaining how many of the smugglers died in the mountain passes. As though the thought had only just occurred to her, she realized that her grandfather would have known about the plot to kill her and probably approved of it. She became upset, explaining why. It was possible at this point Leo had touched her, merely to comfort her, or he’d brushed her hand by accident. He couldn’t be sure. Though the prelude was muddled in his mind, the kiss was clear, sexual desire for so long repressed by opium, or grief or both. For a moment he’d experienced an uncomplicated pleasure of the kind lost to him, an unstoppable urge, convinced nothing else made sense except following through on this impulse. Yet as he’d gripped her waist he’d felt her body trembling, overwhelmed by emotion, nervous and inexperienced. He’d pulled back. She’d stood before him, her mouth fractionally open as if trying to say something and unable to put together the words. They’d remained opposite each other for what seemed to be several minutes. It might only have been a matter of seconds before finally she’d walked out, quietly closing the door behind her.

After Nara had left Leo had smoked, filling his lungs with opium, his substitute for human contact.hausted, he rested his head against the bulletproof glass and closed his eyes.

***

Leo awoke to find the vehicle stationary. Nara wasn’t beside him. There was no one driving. He stepped out, opening the heavy armoured door. To his side of the road there were the blue-green waters of a lake. On the other side a steep mountain towered above them. They were at Darwanta Dam, not far from their destination, the village of Sokh Rot located in the valley on the other side of the mountain. The captain was standing with his officers, several of whom were smoking. Nara was by the water, gazing into it, separate from the others. Leo walked to her. Hesitant and conscious that the captain was watching them, he was unsure what to say. He touched the water, rippling her reflection.

—It doesn’t have to be a problem.

She didn’t say anything. Leo added:

—I take… responsibility. You were blameless in this.

He wanted to stop speaking but couldn’t help adding qualifications to each remark.