Fateful beginning of vacations

Chapter 67: Full Risk

This time Thomas was sitting in the kitchen as well. Sarah knew it, it definitely couldn't be a coincidence. Did he know what she knew or did he suspect something. He was sitting at the table with a cigarette and his cell phone and seemed to be looking for something. He was totally lost in thought and didn't seem to notice Sarah. She sat down in the seat across from him. Only now did he notice her.

"Oops now you scared me." said Tom.

"Oh sorry. I didn't mean to. What are you looking for?" asked Sarah.

"Um, a rock to hide under." he replied and Sarah's heart beat faster. This was definitely more than a coincidence now. It had to be as she suspected how should she proceed now without scaring him off.

"Um...why are you looking for a rock to hide?" asked Sarah uncertainly.

"Oh, someone put me up to it because they'd give me hell if I didn't," Tom explained.

"Why would they give you hell?" asked Sarah.

"Um...because I was chatting hard with you yesterday and was actually chatting with the person." explained Tom.

"Like an internet chat or something?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah exactly one of those. There are hundreds, actually fully cool, you can exchange with people with the same interests." explained Tom.

"Hmmm....wouldn't it be much more interesting to meet the people?" asked Sarah.

"Possibly, but that is sometimes just not so easy. You usually only know the first names of the people and if the name is right you don't know either." described Tom.

"Sure, I can imagine I could just pretend to be you or you pretend to be me. Makes the whole thing kind of dangerous because you don't know who you're really writing with." concluded Sarah.

"Exactly, but it's not that bad. In chat people are nice and alright, you just can't tell too much." explained Tom.

"Right. And you chat about rocks or what?" asked Sarah.

"Um...ne...." said Tom evasively.

"About what then?" continued Sarah.

"Oh this and that." he tried to talk his way out of it. "I think I'd better get back or I'll really have to move under a rock." he said, standing up.

"I'll talk Kathi out of it about the rock," Sarah said in a nervous voice.

Tom stopped as if struck by lightning and began to stutter, "Pl...ea...se reapeat that."

"I told you I'd talk Kathi out of the stone. Besides, we did take the room as requested, didn't we?" asked Sarah still nervously.

"Um..." Tom faltered and sat down again, taking a cigarette from the box with shaky hands and lighting it. Sarah didn't say anything at first, giving him a moment to realize what she had just told him more or less directly. He still seemed absent and completely out of it.

"Um coffee?" asked Sarah uncertainly.

"I think so." replied Tom.

Sarah got up and prepared a pot of coffee and sat down again.

"Can you explain it to me?" asked Tom.

"What exactly?" replied Sarah.

"Why you said that. You wouldn't know unless..." he didn't finish the sentence.

"...If I was chatting with you?" asked Sarah.

"Exactly." he said curtly.

"Now calm down first." sarah tried to reassure him.