She hurriedly got in the car. Checked to see if William has gone far enough and on assurance, turned around and screamed into the back seat cover. When she had poured out all her mind, she faced front and her eyes popped out a good two centimeters from it's sockets. She placed a hand on her forehead as a new horror besieged her. "You are the driver?"
Travis nodded.
She groaned. She had totally forgotten that she had assigned him to driving duties. "Alright turn."
Travis didn't bulge.
Her eyes narrowed in accusation. "You are enjoying this aren't you?"
Travis nodded. "Is that your boyfriend?" he asked later, his expression blank and voice even.
She gazed at him refusing to say nothing but without control of what she was feeling inside, placed her hands on her warm cheeks, something of a smile threading it's way to her face and on later noticing what had become of her, she hastily dropped both hands and began schooling her face.
"No need for the ice queen to come out now?"
"Drive."
"Unless you want us to get an accident, you must answer my question."
"You won't do that."
"I'm the driver. Your life is in my hands. Now, is he your boyfriend?"
A few moments passed.
"He is not my boyfriend," someone murmured.
Travis dramatically cupped his ears, straining.
"He is not my boyfriend yet. But I've had a crush on him like forever." This wasn't her. She was behaving like a loud, empty high schooler. She was prepared once the car pull over, to open the ground and cover herself in muddy earth but Travis nodded in understanding and she looked at him in shock.
"Why is your face like that?"
"Because I thought you will be like: how can someone this heartless and unfeeling have a crush? Or why was I behaving this way? Something like that."
Travis smiled with a kind of maturity that was also new to him. "I mean, you are pretty heartless," he provided.
She gritted, choosing to look outside the window.
"But you are also a person..."
She craned her face to him.
"A woman. And and, having crushes is what makes us people. Wishing for someone from afar and knowing the person can have you in their palms and toy with you and lead you to your most vulnerable. I mean, its one of life's joy and sorrow."
As he spoke, she looked at him with a newly found admiration. Placed him on a pedestal. Something she had never felt for anyone and at one moment, she felt the vulnerability he was talking about, an urge seized her to cross over the console and hug him, but it was for only a moment. A moment she knew she would review over and over and maybe consider it lunacy. But the next moment, her stomach grumbled aloud.
"Why do you always see my at my worst moments?"
He didn't answer. Turned, pulled his seat belt. Turned on the engine and the smooth hum vibrated through the car. He reversed and drove out.
****
Feet dipped into the sand as she trudged slowly. She looked at the silent body of water and then the night sky. No stars twinkling. She frowned. Turned slowly and looked at the person walking at the same pace as her. The person gave her a nudge and her mouth flew open in incredulity. "Why am I here. I don't feel like coming here. Especially with you."
"But I do," Travis shot back.
She frowned to which he nudged her again. "Remember, you promised."
"I didn't."
"Yes you did."
"Saying yes, doesn't mean I promise."
"Not when you were gobbling all that food down."
She gave him a hard look. "I knew you will use that against me."
He laughed. It was sweet and stung the air with happiness that Jovic lost herself looking at the way his head rose towards the sky and his mouth open wide.
"You didn't eat enough?"
She blinked and found out he had stopped laughing and had asked her a question.
"At your date?" he asked noticing her wrinkling eyebrows.
She nodded and when he offered no words, she said, "They kept serving me different fish food."
His eyes opened in horror. "They shouldn't do that. Not to you."
She smiled. "I know right. I haven't eaten for like three days and the only thing I got to enjoy was their soup. But it was also made with fish."
He laughed.
She looked at him, continuing, "So now, I am traumatized by the smell of fish or the water bodies which they lived."
"So I just took you to a traumatizing spot."
She nodded.
He grinned. It was a grin that he had had for the better part of the night. "I thought nothing scares you."
"You will be suprised," she said and he didn't fail to notice how heavy her voice became.
But he laughed again and her mouth was slowly gaining a grin. She kicked up sand.
"Why do you act that way?"
She looked at him, confused again.
"Here," he expanded, "you are yourself. At home you are yourself, but with him today, you were an absolute school girl."
"That's because, as I have told you, I have a crush on him. And as you have clearly seen, he is handsome."
"I am handsome," Travis pointed back. "And trust me, I mean, I tell you, that guy isn't."
"He is manly handsome and you are boyishly handsome."
"The girls I've been with have never thought I was 'boyishly' handsome."
"They were girls," she said humorously. "I am a woman."
His eyes went bright at her declaration and he proclaimed: "You are indeed."
And to quench his eyes going alive and invading her thoughts more than necessary, she added: "And I own you."
"Cruel," he replied. "But also true. You own me."
They walked on and silence fell like snow, slowly, softly, between them. Jovic could hear her heart beating as she thought of the double entendre to his words.