Eva took a step towards Alexander’s room but stopped in her tracks at seeing him angrily walk out with his phone stuck to his ear.
“Yes, I’m in Phoenix. I’m not f*cking answerable to you about anything, Beatrix! We’re not engaged anymore and neither will we ever be,” he yelled with barely suppressed anger. Eva paled, knowing that Beatrix had found out about their whereabouts. Would she drop by here?
“What will you do here? I’ll leave by tomorrow morning. Stop following me around and stay where you are. It was your choice to travel with my parents. Don’t expect me there soon.” His glance fell upon a wide-eyed and apprehensive Eva, quietly standing in one corner.
“I don’t want to listen to anything. We need to talk, and I’m coming over to Phoenix tomorrow to get you. Wait for me,” said Beatrix stubbornly as she disconnected the call. Alexander scoffed at her high-handed tone, staring at his phone in disbelief.
“As if I’ll wait for her! Be ready to leave by 4 o’clock in the morning, Eva. I’ll just talk to Mr. Clifford about our road trip.” He was about to leave when Eva caught his hand to stop him.
“Have your dinner first, Alexander. I’m sure we can plan the trip afterwards,” she said with concern. Alexander calmed down and sat down, pulling her along to sit beside him.
“She’s crazy, actually. I’m afraid she will reach here in the middle of the night,” said Alexander with a sigh. “I’m not concerned about myself, but she will take it out on you.”
“I have nothing to lose, Alexander. I’m sure I can face her!” Alexander gaped at her for a second and then smiled, serving himself the delicious chili lime steak fajitas he had ordered.
“Fine, you win, but why aren’t you eating?” he served her too and Eva gasped at the amount of food he heaped on her plate.
“You’ll fatten me up in the next fourteen days,” she said with an eye roll. Alexander grinned, relaxing more while enjoying his food.
“Don’t worry. You’ll get a lot of exercises as well. I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“How did Beatrix know that you’re here? You haven’t been to Rotterdams,” said Eva, already at her wit’s end. No one knew they were here since it was a last-minute decision. “Have you told your parents?”
“No. A few employees of Rotterdams saw me with you when we were going out sightseeing earlier. They must have told Desmond or Beatrix,” he said with a scowl, already worried about his mentor’s reaction. Alexander knew what he would say. Since he too was seeing someone behind her back, they were even, and there wasn’t any betrayal. Therefore, they should marry at the earliest. Eva gasped with fear and looked up at Alexander helplessly.
“Oh, now what will we do? Is she coming over to fight with me?”
“Maybe! She said she’s coming over to get me.” Eva looked down at her plate, deep in thought. What if she really comes over in the middle of the night?
“Will you go with her if she comes here in the night?” she asked with dread. Alexander looked annoyed by her question and shook his head. It seemed the thought alone irked him, let alone go with her.
“You’re hardly eating Eva. You have to eat to endure the road trip,” he scolded her, serving her more of the Mexican rice and Albondigas soup. “Don’t you like the food?” Eva gazed at him, touched by his concern. Considering the circumstances they were in, he was more concerned about her than anything else.
“I love the food but I can’t eat so much at one go. I’ll eat in the middle of the night if I’m hungry.”
“I know. That’s why I ordered extra. You can try to increase your intake at a slower pace. Finish whatever is on your plate and we can store the leftovers for later.” He completed his dinner and got up to go to the reception desk to plan their road trip.
Eva finished her dinner and waited for Alexander. If she had to wake up early, she would have to go to bed early. Her body ached from the day’s exhaustion and she repented, having expressed her love for adventure. She wasn’t used to it like Alexander was! After an hour, Alexander stormed in as if chased by the demon himself.
“We’re leaving in an hour, Eva. Get ready!” he said when his phone buzzed with an incoming call. Eva wanted to ask him why he changed his plans again, but he had already disappeared into his room. She got up to get ready, all the energy leaving her tired body. She just needed a bed to sleep in! Hearing Alexander arguing with his parents on the phone in the next room, she knew something was up. Slowly, she got ready to hit the road again.
After half an hour, she dragged her tired body to the sofa and slumped into it to wait for Alexander. Suddenly, she felt lifted and held against a warm chest. Opening her sleepy eyes, she realized that she might have fallen asleep and Alexander was carrying her into the elevator.
“I’m sorry, Eva. You can go to sleep. I’ll take care of you,” he whispered, his face so close that she could kiss him if she wanted. Yes, she wanted to! All the sleep left her eyes, and she stared wide-eyed at him.
“I’m awake. You can put me down now,” she breathed, but he turned a deaf ear to her. He carried her all the way to a luxurious Volvo XC90 waiting for them. Their luggage had already been loaded, and they finally set off.
“You can sleep now,” said Alexander, adjusting her seat to make her comfortable.
“What about you? Are you going to drive all night?” she asked with concern. Alexander glanced at her worried face and his heart skipped a beat. He had to make good use of this opportunity. It was now or never.
“I’ll drive, don’t worry. Go to sleep.”
“No, I’ll keep awake with you and take turns driving. Isn’t there any other option? We can stay somewhere overnight? I’m sure Beatrix won’t search for you at all the hotels in and around Phoenix!”
“Fine then. I know the place she would never imagine we could go to. We’ll go to Wild Hooves Ranch, at an hour’s drive along I-17.” Eva nodded with relief. At last, she would get a bed to sleep on. It was just 9 o’clock and they would reach in an hour and rest! Unaware of what Alexander was plotting away, Eva closed her innocent eyes to rest her tired self. It had been really a very tiring first day of her vacation. She wondered what Alexander would be up to for the next fourteen days. It would be so difficult to keep pace with him!
Suddenly, a warm hand on her cheek woke Eva up. Startled, she opened her eyes to see Alexander hovering over her. They had stopped at some place and Alexander had opened the passenger door to carry her out.
“Have we reached?” she croaked, blinking to focus on him.
“Yes.” He helped her out of the vehicle and she looked at the warmly lit-up patio where a huge family was enjoying themselves, laughing and drinking by a fire pit. The ranch was vast, with cottages at the far end overlooking the horse corrals.
Alexander led her towards the main building, where a middle-aged woman welcomed them and handed them a bunch of keys. “I’ve prepared your room, Mr. Van Every. Hope you and your wife have a lovely stay at our ranch. Please call 045 in case you need anything. Breakfast is free and served from 8 to 10 o’clock. Good night!” said the kind woman.
“Thank you, Mrs. Morris.” Alexander led Eva out and they walked towards the cottage Mrs. Morris had pointed at.
“What was that? Why didn’t you correct her?” she asked agitatedly, with flushed cheeks. How could Alexander allow her to think that they were married?
“What difference does it make? We’re just here to sleep,” he said with a shrug.
“Yes, you’re right. I’m so tired that I think I’ll drop off and go to sleep here itself,” said Eva, dragging her tired body along. Alexander looked at her delicate frame and felt a tug at his heartstrings. He picked her up bridal style and started walking towards their cottage.
“I didn’t mean it literally. Put me down, Alexander. Everyone’s staring at us.”
“Let them. They too are probably thinking of us to be a newly married couple,” he said with a grin while Eva’s eyes widened with shock. What was there to grin at? As if he was loving it, getting her all worked up!
He placed her down in front of a cozy little cottage, and Eva’s heart skipped a beat. It was so tiny that there didn’t seem to be more than a single room and washroom inside. Where would she sleep?