Deadly Romance

Day 4

      The next morning Jessica and her parents arrived in a car they had rented. Kevin was introduced to Daniel who had a strong handshake and a polite hello, but Kevin had the feeling he was being looked at suspiciously. Lucy, on the other hand, gave Kevin a quick hug and a warm friendly hello.

"It's so nice to meet you, Kevin," she said, "Jessica can't stop talking about you. She thinks you're wonderful."

"Mum!" Jessica shot her mother a dark look.

It was only a ten minute drive to the tourist park. It was crowded with people and they spent the day watching the dolphin shows and the water skiing displays, as well as riding on the water rides and roller coasters. 

In the middle of the afternoon as they were finding a seat for the water ski show Kevin noticed that Daniel was missing. When he asked Lucy she shrugged. "He's around here somewhere," she said, "He'll find us when he's ready."

Daniel did not reappear. After the show finished as the three of them were wandering around the gift shop Kevin spotted Daniel talking to two men in the at the back of the shop. Daniel saw Kevin looking at him and said something to his friends who quickly walked off out the door of the shop. Daniel returned to Kevin and the others but he looked grim. He and Lucy had a quick talk in hushed tones. Jessica appeared not to notice as she looked through the thousands of gift items on the shelves.

Later Kevin was dropped off at his unit with Jessica agreeing to meet him at McDonalds two hours later.

Another night of drinking and dancing, and now they were lying on Kevin's bed after yet another session of lovemaking.

"I just can't believe you're real," Kevin murmured to a naked Jessica lying beside him, "I think I'm falling in love with you."

"No," Jessica protested, "Don't say that. This is a holiday romance. In a few days you'll go back home to Melbourne, and I'll go back to Sydney. We are like ships in the night. We pass each other and have a fleeting contact, then we both continue on our different courses, never to see each other again."

"Never to see each other again?" Kevin repeated feeling his heart sink into his stomach, "But Jessica, we have something special. Don't say you don't have feelings for me."

A frown passed over her face. "Of course I do. I think you're a really cool guy. You're very special to me, but after this holiday we can't be together anymore. Sydney and Melbourne are too far apart."

"We could make it work. I could fly up to Sydney every second weekend. I can afford it. I have heaps of frequent flyer points. And maybe every now and then you could fly to Melbourne."
Jessica looked sadly at Kevin. "I'm sorry, Kevin. I just can't do it. Long distance relationships don't work. I know couples who have tried it, and they fail every time."

"OK, then I can move to Sydney. I'm sure I will be able to find an I.T. job there. Then we can be together."

Jessica looked alarmed. "No, Kevin. You don't have to move to Sydney just for me."

"Why not? Oh no, don't tell me you're married. Have you got a husband waiting for you back home?"

"No, of course not. It's just, it's just..... I'm sorry, Kevin, but I can't be with you after this holiday. I can't explain."

Kevin felted devastated. He was in love with Jessica. Why didn't she want to be with him?

"Let's just live in the moment," she continued, "Have fun while we can, and we can make some great memories."

"But I've never loved anyone before like I love you," he said.

"Of course you have. What about Candace? And what about your girlfriend before her?"

"I didn't have a girlfriend before Candace."

"Yes you did."

"How do you know that? Are you a mind reader or something?"

She smiled. "Funny you should ask that, but yes I can read minds."

"What? I don't believe you."

"Okay I'll prove it. Tell me three things about yourself, two of them true and one false. I'll tell you which one is false."

Kevin thought for a moment. "Okay, my favourite colour is red, my dog's name is Sam, and I drive a Mazda CX5."

Jessica stared at him for a few moments. "You don't have a dog," she said.

"Hmm, okay lucky guess. Can we go again?"

"Sure."

"My favourite movie is The Avengers, my brother's name is Liam, and my car is silver."

"Your car is not silver."

"Another lucky guess. My first pet was a rabbit, my Year Twelve science teacher's name was Mr Faulkner, and I was fifteen when I first kissed a girl."

"You were older than fifteen when you first kissed a girl."

"Wow, you're good. Can we try another one? I'll trip you up yet." 

Ten minutes later Jessica had only got one wrong.

Kevin looked at her with admiration. "Tell me how you do it?" he said, "Can you really read minds?"

She laughed. "Not really. It's actually a party trick a friend taught me."

"So how do you do it?"

"It's all to do with body language, but I am not going to tell you anymore. I like to be mysterious."

"Okay, so be mysterious. To change the subject, this afternoon at Sea World your father missed the water ski show. Who were those men he was talking to in the gift shop?"

Jessica's smile instantly vanished. "I think they were some friends of his from Sydney," she said, "Anyway I'm tired, let's go to sleep."

"Wait a minute," Kevin said with a grin, "Since you can read minds, what am I thinking now?"

"Ha ha!," Jessica giggled as she swatted him with a pillow.

Jessica is a mysterious person.
The story hots up in the next chapter.
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