Tormented: Day 17

Word Count: 102,002

Summary of Events:

Riel picked up the waitress, Patricia, from her work after her shift was over again and they went to the beach and talked; unfortunately she didn't know Esperanza. Esperanza got ready and participated in Zeus' September party purely for formality's sake; she then managed to sneak off to her room to begin the escape, but Hercules came after her, wanting to spend time with her quietly, preventing her from getting away. Riel was getting frustrated over the repetitive nature of what he was finding regarding Esperanza's disappearance and welcomed Patricia as a distraction, although she wanted to go swimming, and his swimsuit was five hours away in Buenos Aires . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

""You wouldn't want a ten hour drive just to go swimming, would you?" Riel asked.

"No," Patricia replied. "But can't we buy you some because you forgot to bring them?"

Riel shifted his jaw. They could, but honestly he felt like it was a bit of a waste of money, and what was he going to do with two pairs? He barely did enough swimming to warrant the ownership of one pair!

"Or do you want your dad to wrap them up in a parcel and send them to you?" Patricia asked.

"It'd probably be cheaper that way," Riel said. And it was a good idea too . . . except that they wouldn't get there until next week because mail wasn't running until Monday.

Patricia looked out the window despondently.

"You should've told me you wanted to do this and I would've gotten them sent down here," Riel said.

Patricia sighed.

"Is there anything else you want to do with me other than go swimming?" Riel asked.

"You already told me you don't want to do that," Patricia replied.

"And there's nothing else you want to do?" Riel asked.

"No," Patricia replied.

Riel sighed. He could technically do both of the things she wanted to do with him, but he thought he might as well just save money and get Father to send his swimwear down for the swimming, and the other one he didn't really want to, mainly because of the fact that she was just sixteen. He felt like it wasn't appropriate for him to do that sort of thing, especially being ten years her senior.

Pulling away from the curb, Riel drove. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going to take her, but he didn't want to take her home if she'd wanted to spend the entire day with him. They had to do something together.

Soon he pulled in at the local shopping mall. Patricia hadn't looked at him or said anything to him the whole drive, and she still didn't even as they pulled in.

Riel shut off his SUV and went around to her door. Opening it, he reached over and undid her seatbelt.

"Come on, let's go," he said.

"I don't want to," Patricia replied.

"You wanted to spend the day with me," he said. "And I know we're not going to spend it the way you wanted, but we can still spend it together."

He gently lifted her out of her seat and kissed her lips lightly before settling his hand around her back and guiding her first out of the way of the door so he could close it, and then toward the mall.

Patricia followed him without protest, but said nothing and remained generally despondent as they crossed the parking lot and entered the mall.

Riel felt guilty, but he hoped that some way, somehow, he'd find a way to make her happy without doing what she wanted him to. There were more ways to have fun, and maybe he'd be able to prove it to her."