Chapter Thirteen

Travis and Alex start a back and forth dialogue neither wanting to be the first to blink.

Travis makes a dinner of cold sandwiches with lunch meat and mayo, chips, cole slaw, and a large cookie for dessert.  He also has milk and juice available for consumption at the table.  Neither of them speak while eating dinner.  Both are hungry but neither want to talk right now or even make eye contact.   Travis doesn’t want Alex to think he cares whether she likes the meal or not, and Alex doesn’t want to say anything that might anger Travis.   She is also enjoying finally being able to eat after such a tense day. 

Travis appreciates that Alex doesn’t make anymore negative commentary over dinner about the overall situation, or the meal itself, as that would only just makes things more difficult.  Travis at this point wants to get going on an actual plan of action since there is no doubt that at this point Alex’s status of missing has become known around town.

Her parents are probably freaking out and making all sorts of phone calls!  I think I’ll just wait until morning to make any demands.  At least she doesn’t know my real name.

Meanwhile, Alex is happy that she has started to regain her composure again and has actually started to relax.  She knows the precariousness of her predicament and she wants to be calm in order to stay safe and not make things worse by pushing Travis into doing something rash.  Alex decides she needs to become flirty and irreverent again in order to make Travis more agreeable and less intense.  Alex likes men, and she feels more in control when a man is interested in her and wants to please her.  Alex also finds Travis’ rugged manner, size, build, and good looks to be attractive.  She hates men who are without confidence and who need direction.   She likes older men as well and prefers to date them.  If this were a totally different type of situation Alex may have already been the first to make a move.

 

The silence is broken when Travis says something.  “So, I suppose people are starting to miss you by now?”   

Alex answers cautiously as she doesn’t want to make things easy for Travis.  She loves both her parents and is afraid that since they have little available cash and are barely making their mortgage that this could be dangerous to her situation. Her parents just separated recently and are both struggling financially.  She is also worried that neither will be concerned about her when they find out about her being taken captive.   Maybe they will be too busy or distracted by their problems to even care about me!

“That could be.  I don’t know.   I don’t have to answer to anyone really, so maybe not yet.”    

Alex is also worried that if she tells Travis that he is essentially wasting his time wanting money from people that don’t have it she could be in danger so she feels a need to play along with the rich girl persona.

 

Travis replies with, “Are you close to your parents?  I mean, do you talk to them much?” 

“I don’t live with them.  I stay in a dorm right now on campus.”

 

“But, do you get along with them?”   

“Of course I do.  I talk with them once or twice a week.”  

 

Alex likes the back and forth of this conversation since she knows where it is heading.  He wants to know if my parents will be willing to pay up!

“Do you have a roommate who might be wondering where you are right now?”  Travis is starting to feel annoyance at this useless conversation.

“My roommate Gelda spends most nights at her boyfriends place.  I only see her about every other day.”

 

Travis stands up now.  He has had enough of this.  She might just be pulling my chain.  Somebody must be missing her right now!

As Alex finishes eating, Travis spends time putting things away and making preliminary sleeping arrangements.  I doubt if she would be stupid enough to try and run for it tonight.   And if she does, she does.  At this point, maybe she needs that dose of reality.

 

However, at the same time, Travis finds the idea of sleeping nearby a beautiful young woman to be exhilarating