El otro día, leyendo A Thousand Splendid Suns, la segunda novela del autor de Cometas en el Cielo, Khaled Hosseini, me encontré con un pasaje muy emocionante. Se trata de una chica (Laila) que va al cine con el chico que le gusta (Tariq), aunque no están saliendo, y en un momento de la película los actores se dan un beso de esos de cine, largos y apasionados. Seguro que todos nos hemos visto en esa situación tan incómoda y extraña alguna vez, y me pareció que este fragmento describe esa sensación excepcionalmente bien.
«On the screen, Alyona and her new husband locked lips.
Watching the kiss, Laila felt strangely conspicuous all at once. he became intensely aware of her heart thumping, of the blood thudding in her ears, of the shape of Tariq beside her, tightening up, becoming still. The kiss dragged on. It seemed of utmost urgency to Laila, suddenly, that she not stir or make a noise. She sensed that Tariq was observing her -one eye on the kiss, the other on her, as she was observing him. Was he listening to the air whooshing in and out of her nose, she wondered, waiting for a subtle faltering, a revealing irregularity, that would betray her thoughts?
And what would it be like to kiss him, to feel the fuzzy hair above his lip tickling her own lips?
Then Tariq shifted uncomfortably in his seat. In a strained voice, he said, “Did you know that if you fling snot in Siberia, it’s a green icicle before it hits the ground?”
They both laughed, but briefly, nervously this time. And when the film ended and they stepped outside, Laila was relieved to see that the sky had dimmed, that she wouldn’t have to meet Tariq’s eyes in the bright daylight.»
