Olivia #2
‘Look.’ He leant forwards. Olivia could smell the scent of his soap and see the freshly shaved stubble on his chin.
‘It’s your last night here. I know it’s expensive.
I know you are an independent woman who can afford to buy her own meals and look after herself.
I just …’ He dropped his gaze momentarily.
‘I just would like to treat you, if that’s all right? ’
Olivia felt her guard lower a little.
‘And this way, you get something out of it too. All the information about me that you want.’ He grinned, edging his outstretched hand an inch closer to hers. ‘Please?’
As much as she hated to admit it, there was something deep inside her that needed to know more about this man, with his beetle-black eyes and his irritatingly attractive smile.
Slowly, she brought her hand up to meet his and shook it firmly.
‘Fine. We have a deal.’
*
‘I swear we’ve already been down this street,’ Olivia huffed, a sense of déjà vu settling over her as they wandered aimlessly along yet another dusty side road.
Jacob turned around and looked behind him. ‘Hmm, I don’t think so. I don’t remember seeing that cat before.’ He pointed at a scrawny tortoiseshell across the street.
‘Please
don’t tell me you’ve been using stray animals as landmarks, or I’ll lose my mind.’
‘No, that would be ridiculous!’ He laughed. ‘And “landmarks” suggests there’s a final destination in mind.’
‘And you’re only telling me now
that there isn’t?’
‘There sort of is and there sort of isn’t, you know?’
‘Not really, seeing as you
said we were going to get dessert, therefore implying you
knew where to take us.’
Jacob crossed the road, looking back at Olivia over his shoulder. ‘Does it make you uncomfortable not having a plan?’
‘No.’
‘Really?’
‘Not uncomfortable, I think it’s just a completely inefficient use of everyone’s time.’
‘That’s fair enough.’ Jacob stopped still and looked around. Olivia watched as the scrawny cat, their only hope of direction, scarpered off down an alleyway.
‘So, no more time shall we waste!’ he declared suddenly. ‘Follow me, I know where to go.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Completely.’
‘Wouldn’t it be easier to look it up on your phone?’ she asked, reaching into her pocket for her own.
‘I don’t have one.’
Olivia stopped still. ‘Oh, come on.’
‘What? I don’t have a phone.’
‘You’re joking?’ She remained frozen on the spot. ‘You have to be joking, right?’
‘Nope.’ His face was deadly serious.
‘But … that’s insane
.’
‘Is it?’ Jacob placed a hand on Olivia’s arm, pulling her from the spot she’d been rooted to.
‘Yes! Of course it is.’ Realization dawned on her. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to exchange numbers about tonight’s dinner; he couldn’t! How reckless could one person be? ‘How long have you not had a phone for?’
Jacob shrugged. ‘I don’t know, maybe six months or so.’
‘Six months!
’
‘More or less.’
His nonchalance bewildered her.
‘Did someone steal it?’
‘No.’
‘Did you lose it?’
‘Nope. I gave it to a family I was staying with. It was a present for their kid; he needed it more than I did.’
The fact that the story was very sweet and generous did not detract from the absurdity of it.
‘And it never crossed your mind to buy another one?’
‘Not really. I found I was relying on it way too much, and soon it started to defeat the whole point of me travelling. I wasn’t being present because I could so easily lose myself in what was happening on my screen.
’ He steered them down a little side alley.
‘I know it’s mind-blowing, but things can be organized without a mobile phone. ’
‘I know that,’ Olivia replied spikily, shaking her arm free from Jacob’s grip. ‘I was thinking more about how you speak to people back home.’
‘I email them. There’s an internet cafe every ten metres out here.’
‘But don’t your family mind?’ Olivia asked, suddenly realizing she hadn’t yet rung her own parents.
‘No,’ he replied sharply. ‘They’re fine.’
‘I think my best friend would call out a search party if I didn’t reply to her in a couple of days, let alone weeks.’
‘Who’s your best friend?’
‘Hey, I’m meant to be the one asking the questions, remember?’
‘Oh yeah.’ He slapped his hand against his forehead. ‘How could I forget?’
‘So where do your family live?’
‘Hold on.’ Jacob held up his hand. ‘First we need dessert.’
‘Come on
,’ Olivia whined, ‘that wasn’t part of the deal.’
‘Yes, it was. I said let’s go for a walk and get dessert, and then
you can ask me a few questions.’
‘A few?’ she scoffed. ‘It’s now been limited to a few
.’
‘I can’t give you everything on a plate, Olivia, I need to at least maintain some air of mystery.’ He waved his hands around like a magician mid-conjure. ‘Come on. The longer we stand around here chatting, the less time we have for Q and A.’
‘Are you sure you know where you’re going?’ she groaned.
‘I see bright lights and I smell sugar.’ He pointed towards the end of the street. ‘There’s got to be something sweet down there!’
Olivia squinted just past where Jacob’s finger was pointing. ‘Fine, but let’s hurry up. I have an early train tomorrow morning, so I can’t be out late.’