Chapter 23- Hard not to stare

Although she felt such a connection to him, she still didn't trust him at all. She hardly knew of him than what he claimed which was nothing really.

…

Throughout the journey, Afsah never spoke of his life, instead he enquired about the friends. Especially Archie. He showed great interest in her past and tried to get Augustin to discuss as much he could although Augustin noticed Archie's glare from his prepheral vision which he decided was a sign for his to stop talking. She didn't trust him at all and as a result, all Afsah got of his interrogation was just that she had ran away from the mansion as she was feeling 'suffocated.'

That word ran in circles around Afsah's mind, triggering memories of many kinds. But of what? We are yet to know.

~ A few hours into the journey, Augustin and Afsah were in deep conversation about America's economy and business development while Archie was asleep, taking use of all three seats behind.

Suddenly, her phone starts ringing.

Startled, the car becomes quiet as Archie tries hesitantly to get a hold of it and finally bring it to her ears.

"Architha? Where are you now? It's me, your father."

"Oh… father? How are you."

"Where are you?"

"Why?"

"You don't want me to know?"

"No, it's not that. Just a minute."

Archie leans forward to take a look at the navigator but couldn't understand what was going on in the screen. She then turns right to face Augustin.

"Where even are we?"

Afsah looks outside the window at the tall, wavy, marigold tinted rocky walls to the right of the roads before answering,

"Glenwood Springs, still Colorado."

Archie sits back down at her seat and resumes talking to her father.

"We are on our final trip to San Diego. Currently at Glenwood Springs."

"Whose was that voice I heard? I thought it was just you and Augustin."

Her hands grew numb in shock. How was she to explain such a situation to her father?

"Oh, uh. I don't know what you heard. It's just Augustin and I surely."

"Alright then, call me once you reach."

The two avoided discussing how she had left the mansion at all. They treated it as the elephant in the room who was attempting with all her might to camouflage with the aluminous colours around her.

Sighing out of relief, she proceeds to look outside the lightly tinted glass to her right. It was quite beautiful to see the rocks which had curved inwards to form a wall between the cliff up ahead and the narrow road which occurred just through the edge of the never ending depths down the desert mountain which they were travelling up through. The sight remained a light mango orange colour which was sometimes interrupted by the green of the wild weeds which grew beyond the cracks.

"How long have we been travelling for?" She asks, still mesmerised by the strange phenomenon surrounding her.

"About two and half hours I guess." Augustin says after checking the navigator.

All throughout the journey, Afsah nor Archie had exchanged a single word. Just awkward glances through the rear-view mirror.

Looking back at his face, she starts to regain notice of his facial features. His sharp jawline, shaded with such a manly beard which followed all the away and above his lips. Twas' the most appealing moustache she had ever seen on a man… and she was drawn to it quite mercilessly that once again the scene changed to slow motion. His coal black hair lightly feathering at the wind which came through the small open gap on his side of the window. His every blink was slowed down, his eyelashes longer than the journey she had from New York to Illinois. His sharp, green, piercing eyes which glared at the long, welcoming road ahead of him. Oh, such an unexplainable feeling. Fireworks exploding inside one after another, not giving her enough time to take her breath. Her heart beating faster at every inch they moved towards one an another. And there, on the right of the driver's seat sat a man with such disgust painted on his face. Augustin already knew where this was going and more than sickened at this unusual behaviour of hers, he was amused. His eyebrows almost reaching his hairline.

"Close your mouth Archie, some fly might drown in your drool."

Her day dreams had come to an end. That too by this buffoon. Her frozen gaze which met Afsah's eyes noticed his smirk which escaped from him ruthlessly. It was the most awkward moment of her life. Officially.

For another hour, Archie sat behind the men trying to play some games on Tanvi's phone while Augustin and Afsah were engaged in another discussion about politics. You guessed it! Trump was on trending. This continued until her stomach was grumbling loud enough for her to hear through the engine of the jeep.

"Can we stop somewhere? I'm hungry."

The two politicians stop their conversation reluctantly.

"I need to use the washroom." Augustin adds after a pause.

" Won't be too long before I find somewhere." Afsah says, slowing down just a little.

The three exit the car to be greeted with the sign in front of the door which said, 'Welcome to Palisade specials.'

Inside was quite averagely furnished, definitely not something to take notice of. They take a seat and do all of what is needed.

It was still morning and the sun was sneakily making its way through all gaps in the restaurant but guess that was the gist of it. Every once in a while, Archie would get side tracked by the man before her. Even the way he ate was attractive that one who was full to his throat would feel like eating once again at the site of it. And every once in a while, she would get caught. Either by Afsah himself or Augustin who will then nudge her from below the table.

As they were in the middle of enjoying their breakfast, a noise interrupts them. The ringing of a phone.