Page 28 of Wrong Cabin, Right Time
I can see that Travis wants to say something else, but he thinks better of it and goes to the counter and picks up his phone. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s googling the average calories in shakshuka.
“Do you like to cook?” I ask, chopping the tomatoes on a cutting board while I glance at him eagerly. He doesn’t say anything right away. I clear my throat, and he looks away from his phone and nods. “I bet you’re really into healthy eating and all that stuff, aren’t you? It’s funny how most rich people are like that, right?”
He looks at me and nods, not being forthcoming with the conversation at all.
“Do you have a favorite meal?”
“Eating to me is a necessity, not something I particularly enjoy.” The coffee maker beeps, and he jumps to his feet to pour himself a cup of black coffee.
“If only I could be like that.” I laugh, throwing together the rest of the ingredients for the shakshuka and putting them in a pan to sauté. “It would make life so much easier, wouldn’t it? I could just eat healthy all the time, and I’d never have two a.m. cravings for McDonald’s.”
Travis leans against the counter and sips his coffee, nodding as I speak. Ever since I’ve known him, which admittedly has been only a week, he hasn’t been that much of a yapper. Compared to me, anybody seems like the strong silent type. I love to talk; I practically haven’t stopped since I said my first word. I’ve never been one to appreciate a moment of silence either. But right now, as I watch Travis looking like a sexy snack, I can’t help but imagine him shirtless.
With my mind clouded, I reach for the paprika, taking a whiff of the spice. I realize too late it must have been cayenne pepper I grabbed, because the next thing I know, I’m thrown into a coughing fit.
My eyes are watering by the time I’m done, and Travis is watching me like I’m crazy.
“Spice of love, baby,” I manage to rasp out, making Travis only shake his head at me.
It takes another few seconds before I’m back to normal. Then I do what I do best. Talk. “Well, I love to cook. It’s something I’ve always enjoyed. Food was pretty bland back in the compound. That’s the real reason I left.” I laugh and stir the onions and garlic in the pan, lookingat him as if I’m holding for applause. “So I started taking over meals in my household. I did everything I could to spice up the bland, boring meals we were always eating. I found a real love for the craft while I was doing that. It was especially cool because everything was farm to table. It’s a fully self-sustaining commune.”
Travis perks up at that, setting his mug of coffee down on the counter and staring at me. “The commune has animals there you raise for consumption?”
I nod, focusing on the next step of the cooking process. “Oh yeah. Granted, most of the residents are vegetarian or vegan, but they didn’t want to be restrictive on types of diets. The founders of the compound cared more about the practices of the meat industry than the act of eating meat, anyway.”
Travis nods again. I can tell he’s losing some interest in my story, and I feel almost desperate to get it back. Having him hanging on my words is a dream come true, and even if he’s a little shy, I’m savoring every moment of this conversation.
“In the homeschooling program the commune enrolled us in, they have rotations with the animals,” I say. He perks up again, and I feel my heart jitter. “It was one of my favorites. We got to work in the barns and see the whole process of raising these cattle. There was a time I wanted to be a farmer too. It was nice. It felt like they were pets for a time.”
“I was never allowed to have pets growing up,” Travis says.Finally!I want to drop to my knees and thank the Lord above that Travis is finally sharing something with me. “My sister was for a while, then I killed her hamster, and our parents never let her get another.”
Okay. Not exactly what I was imagining we’d be talking about, but I guess I’ll take it.
“Oh god, your sister must still hate you for that.” I laugh and brush it off, not wanting to make him feel weird about admitting to that.
“She’s dead too.” His voice is cold and monotone as he says it. I feel a chill run up my spine, and I can’t shake it off. Travis is stillleaning against the counter, his face completely stoic as he sips his coffee once again.
I never thought I would say this about Travis, but that was a bit of a red flag. I suppose everybody has some of them. Lord knows I’m not perfect. But the way he so bluntly and emotionlessly said that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“Did you ever get to see any of the animals being butchered?” Travis gives only a brief moment of pause between these statements.
My throat goes dry at the question, and I shake my head without saying a word. Why would he ask me something like that? I just told him how much I loved those animals, how they were like pets, and that’s what he chose to ask?
That’s two major red flags standing up at exactly the same time.
“You seem really interested in that.” I laugh nervously, trying to shrug it off as best as I can. “Honestly, it’s giving off serial killer vibes.”
I force a laugh and nudge him on the shoulder, expecting him to break character and join in the laughter. For him to tell me it was just a joke, and he was yanking my chain to see how I’d react. But he doesn’t do any of that.
Instead, he just stares at me and sips his coffee while I turn off the stove burner and prepare the next step of the recipe. I can’t ignore the crawling sensation all over my body. All my life, I’ve heard countless stories of people who have been in the presence of danger and haven’t trusted their gut instinct quick enough. But that can’t be what’s happening right now.
I slept in his bed last night. He has had ample opportunity to do something to hurt me, and he hasn’t. I might just be overreacting.
My phone dings on the counter, and I jump, nearly dropping the steaming pan of vegetables on the floor. Travis watches as I set it down on the counter and grab it to look at whatever it is. I’m desperate for a distraction.
My heart stops when I see who the notification is from. DarkHours99.If I can’t have you, nobody can.
There’s nothing else. Only a message he sent yesterday that I haven’t responded to. I feel a chill creeping over me again, and I know I must look as pale as a ghost. This message is undoubtedly a threat. Before, I could have been reading into things too much, but I know for damn sure I’m not now.
