ELIZA

CHAPTER SEVEN: TRIP

I still hoped that I would stay, that something would happen that would interfere with the trip, but it didn't. It was only when I felt the wind in my hair that I realized that I had to stop living my dreams. There was a man on the motorbike in front of me, perhaps even more worthwhile than Tom, and I should focus on him now. I just had to give him a chance.

I cuddled closer to Cosmo, inhaling the pleasant scent. Fresh air and cologne. The smell of him made me feel dizzy, but in a nice way.

On the one hand, I liked that Cosmo was unpredictable. That he came without an announcement and took me somewhere on his motorbike. On the other hand, I was afraid of the result of my reckless decision - I knew very well that I needed several days of intensive study to pass the biophysics exam.

I told myself again that a little bit of madness wouldn't hurt, though I was terrified of the fact that I didn't have my personal belongings with me.

Oh no, I'm not shaved THERE... I thought, reproaching myself for leaving my intimate places unattended for three days. Perhaps I was crazy, but I didn't want to look bad in front of the man - I wanted to be fragrant and smooth like a baby's bottom.

We'll have to go to some store anyway, I kept thinking, glad that I had a wallet with me, without which I never left the apartment. And when we're at the store, I'll buy a toothbrush, toothpaste and the razor, I decided.

Fortunately, Cosmo had to refuel 70 kilometers to the destination. So I did my little shopping quickly, just on time when he came into the store to pay for the fuel. The razor was now lying safely in my jacket pocket and I was holding the brush and toothpaste in my hand. He saw it.

"You think there's no toothpaste in my apartment?" he laughed.

I turned as red as a beetroot and, without waiting for Cosmo, went outside to stretch my back. I had to admit that a few hours of riding a motorbike was already taking its toll on me. When it was still warm, the journey was pleasant, but as soon as it got dark and it grew colder outside, I huddled in the back in my unfit for a long ride jacket. Even with regret, I wondered if I hadn't had the jacket and trousers, the man would have taken me for a ride anyway. For me, a motorcycle novice, having a motorcycle jacket or protective gloves was not something obvious. It should have been for him, because he had a jacket suitable for riding and gloves to protect his hands.

"Are you cold?" he asked, noticing me next to Kawasaki, trying to warm my hands. I didn't even have to pretend, my hands were literally numb.

I nodded my head.

"We'll be there soon," he said, giving me a warm smile.

Unfortunately, a warm smile didn't warm me up, and soon turned out to be a forty minute ride in the frost penetrating my whole body. I didn't even know it could still be so freezing sitting behind the man who took the blows of the wind first. When I got off the motorbike, I was angry and cold, and I think Cosmo noticed it (and I didn't hide it at all).

When he parked in front of the gate, I gave vent to my anger:

"Did you plan to come here earlier? Because if you did, then you could've thought about me and my clothes... " I hissed bitterly.

I couldn't help but be nervous, especially since when I entered the main hall I started to tremble and I couldn't control my body.

"I wasn't planning this whole trip," he confessed, frowning at me. "I made the decision because of Tom."

"What?" I asked, my teeth chattering, though I felt my body slowly adjusting to the warm as we walked past the reception desk to the elevator.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the building's modern interior, concluding that the building must have recently been put into use. The materials with which the block was finished were of a higher quality.

"Tom is a charmer, if it didn't work out with his previous girlfriend, he'll try with you... So I took you away from under his nose," he said looking me straight in the face.

He surprised me with his directness. He didn't beat around the bush, he simply suggested that the trip to the seaside was an impulsive idea so that I wouldn't be able to see Tom.

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. What he did was extremely childish, but also somewhat endearing. After all, I was still cold, so I guess I was still angry. Certainly less, but still.

This time his place was a forty-five-meter studio apartment. It was decorated in a modernist style, with mostly white and black. I wasn't an expert, but probably some architect or interior decorator had to deal with it, because every detail was made with great precision.

The man gained a bit in my eyes only when he made me hot tea.

We started talking. Excellent. I loved talking to him, I discovered it at the wedding, and I still didn't get bored of hearing about his past. I found out that he had lived in India for two years. He worked there as a bus driver and told me anecdotes about it. He also tried to be a pilot. When he returned from India, he wanted to get a license but failed the tests. He laughed that he was considered mentally disturbed, although I didn't find it funny. And finally, he also told me about the prison.