The living room with the fireplace was illuminated by the glow of the fire. The cherry mahogany hardwood floors went seamlessly from the living room to the kitchen, which was all open and unimpeded by walls. There were bright marble countertops and state-of-the-art kitchenware, which reminded me of my parent’s home.
Whoever the hell Travis Benson was, he had money.
There was a hallway that split the cabin in half. I slowly walked down it, studying the gray-colored walls and the white crown molding. Everything in this cabin was decadent. Not at all like the man I had just encountered. There was a door on the right that had a light underneath it, and I paused as a shadow stood directly in front of the door.
I held my breath as I listened out for Travis. This must’ve been his room. I could see the shadow of his stature underneath the bottom of the door, blocking out the light source as he stood there. My eyes danced along the door as I muted my breathing, hoping to the heavens he wouldn’t open the door and find me standing here.
Then his body moved away from the door and I made my quick escape.
On the left was another door before the hallway took a right turn. I started walking down it, finding yet another door on my right and my left. This must’ve been the guest bedroom he was talking about, which meant there was a good probability the other door was a bathroom.
What I didn’t know, however, was what the door at the end of the hallway contained.
I approached it slowly as the thunder continued to crack outside.
The door was solid and it looked heavy. The doorknob on the door looked almost like an antique. It was odd to see something so out of place in a home that was so beautifully decorated and updated. I was curious as to what was behind the door, but as I reached out for it something stopped me. It was as if I was muddling through jello at that point. Like some force had reached out for me and wrapped around my wrist. My heart thundered in my chest as I slowly lowered my hand, resolving myself to whatever
inward command stopped my movements.
I turned my back on the door and scurried back down the hallway, making my way back for the cushions and the fireplace. I needed to dry off and get out of here in the morning. Escaping wasn’t happening tonight and that was something I needed to come to terms with.
But I would sleep with one eye open. Just in case this Travis guy tried to pull anything stupid.
Four
Travis
She thought she was being quiet, but she wasn’t. The moment she stood outside of my door, I knew she became curious about the place. I was glad her body had thawed a little bit, but I wasn’t appreciative of the fact that she was snooping around last night. I would’ve been more than happy to give her a tour of the place.
I understood her reservations. I knew what I looked like and how I came off to other people. I had no intentions of hurting her, but I also had no way to prove that to her. She was a scared young girl trapped in a storm she had no idea how to deal with, so it only made sense that she would be on high alert.
But I did get nervous when I heard her turn down the hallway last night.
What was behind that door was for my own personal use. It was a room that didn’t get used often, but when it did it was a way for me to lose myself. A way to escape the fights my family battled over this land. It allowed me to release the anger and the hurt I had endured at the hands of so many people, including the woman I once loved. I had added that room on as a later addition after my father had this cabin built for me, and it was under lock and key. Even if she had tried to open the door, she wouldn’t have been able to open it.
The mere fact that she was curious, however, was why I stood and listened.
I listened to her explore the cabin. I listened to her run her hands along the wall. I listened to the little gasps I was sure she had no idea she had made, and I listened as her footsteps walked down the damn hallway. I rolled my shoulders back and readied myself to intervene, just in case she started looking around for a way to open the door. I kept the key on the top of the doorframe. Easily accessible but hidden away in case the door needed to stay closed.
But if she went searching for it, I was ready to step out and get her to stop.
There was silence for a little while before her feet ran her back down the hallway. She ran past my bedroom and I heard her collapse back onto the cushions. I hated that she was so afraid. There was nothing to be scared of in my cabin. She seemed brave enough, but her emotions were getting the best of her.
What was a young girl like her doing racing off to California by herself?
I tossed and turned while I slept as dreams of a former life plagued me. When my eyes finally shot open, it was still dark outside. The sun hadn’t yet broken through the trees of the forest that surrounded us, but there was one sound I expected to hear that I didn’t.
Rain.
It was no longer raining outside.
I got out of bed and pulled on some clothes. No use in taking a fucking shower when I was about to fix a damn car. I promised this young woman that I would help her get back on the road and that was what I intended to do. The sooner I could get her on the road, the sooner I could have my fucking house to myself.
I walked toward the front door and grabbed a coat to throw over my shoulders. The fire had dimmed to nothing but sparkling embers as Ava laid there on the couch cushions. I saw her pants hanging over the couch and something in my pelvis roared to life. There was a young woman with no pants on wrapped up in my blankets and lying in front of a fireplace.
In another place and time, I would’ve slipped right underneath them with her and pulled her close to me.
Shaking the thought from my head, I opened the door. I set out the same route I had walked last night, my eyes searching for her car. I walked a little farther than I had last night, but when I came across the car I felt the slightest bit of relief flood my body. The water had washed it down the ditch that followed the road until the ditch disappeared and became level with the trail. It sat on its tires on the side of the road as if nothing had ever fucking happened to it.