The past few days had gone by fairly quickly and the progress was a bit slow I had to admit but at least she hadn't tried to escape again and she always ate with me during dinner.

I would often try to start a conversation but her answers were always crisp and short. It was obvious she didn't want to talk to me. She barely even looked at me, constantly avoiding my gaze to avoid a potential conversation.

At first it bothered me tremendously but after four days I'd sort of gotten used to the silence. I was content with her just being here. The mere fact that she had started eating with me every night was a triumph in itself.

I was proud to be in her presence, proud that it was I who was sitting across her and having dinner with her every night.

But today was different. Today she kept her gaze fixed on me the whole time. It was so unnerving, I found it hard to concentrate on what I was supposed to be doing. She didn't say anything, she just stared and stared for what seemed like forever. Her brows were knitted in a frown as she studied me intently. It made me so self concious I wished I would just disappear right there and then.

Finally she spoke, her words breaking the deafening silence that filled the room.

"I just don't understand. You're actually quite decent looking. Someone like you shouldn't have a problem getting a date. Why did you have to do this?" She looked at me, genuinely confused.

She found me good looking. I smiled inwardly at her flattery. I could definitely work with "quite decent looking."

"It's hard nowadays, you know? Relationships aren't what they used to be. Last time people used to fight for the people they loved even if things weren't working out. At least they tried to make things work and if it still didn't, they would try again. People nowadays give up and move on so easily, they change lovers as often as they change their shirts."

Her dark eye brows were raised now. "And your point is?"

"Well the reason everyone falls out of love so easily is because we have so many temptations everywhere. Think about it, we meet attractive people everyday at work, at college even coffee shops and now we have the great social media where attractive people seem even more attractive in their pictures. If you are having relationship problems don't you think it would be so much easier to stray at this day and age?"

"You're not making any sense. If that were the case don't you think we both would've found our significant others by now? If its as easy as you say it is."

"Yes, it's easy to meet people and have you're fun, but the hard part is committing to them and not leaving them for the next best thing that comes your way. The grass is always greener on the other side but is it really?"

"Ohhhh I get it!," she exclaimed excitedly, which made me smile. Thank god she understood. "How many girls have left you for someone else?"

So much for understanding my point of view. "There have been a few," I muttered dully.

"How many?" she demanded loudly as she slammed her fists on the table making me jump in my seat.

I didn't see the point in telling her how many failed relationships I've had. It wasn't related to the conversation at all. "Why do you want to know? How many men have left you?" I challenged in a feeble attempt to distract her.

"None, I've been in two relationships both of which I ended out of my own will to be single and free not because someone else had tempted me," she answered confidently. I wasn't surprised, who in their right mind would leave some one who looked like that? But then I remembered Ben, her so called best friend.

"What about Ben?" I asked accusingly. I was definitely curious about the two of them and I had watched them these past few months. From what I saw they were definitely not just friends.

Her face fell as soon as I mentioned his name. "How do you- how long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough to know something was going on."

She cursed under her breath before she spoke again. "We never dated. We were- I mean are best friends."

"Best friends don't--."

She cut me off before I could finish. "Stop avoiding my question. How many?"

"Fine. If you must know, seven."

"Seven?" she gazed at me with her eyes wide open. "You mean to say seven girls dumped you for someone else?"

"Yes." I answered curtly not wanting to look at her shocked face. She looked at me disbelievingly and then she started laughing as she rocked back and forth in her chair. It reminded me of the first time we met, it was crazy and disturbing and I didn't like it then, I definitely didn't like it now.

"There's nothing wrong with the world, but there's definitely something wrong with you," she said between fits of laughter. "It's so obvious that you've failed to see it! You're the problem. No girl can tolerate you, so you had to kidnap one to make sure she'd never leave you? That's pathetic. You are pathetic."

Her words were like knives. They sliced through my confidence leaving me in nothing but pain and self doubt. Why would she say something like that?

My skin felt prickly with irritation and no matter how much I tried to resist it, I could feel the anger building up in my chest. She was provoking me, I knew it but if she thought she could get to me so easily she was kidding herself.

I was used to being put down and criticised. My whole life I had been the subject of nasty comments and bad jokes. Whether it was my mother, my siblings, my schoolmates, it didn't matter because I had become immune to it.

So instead of reacting like she expected me too, I ate my food quietly as I waited for the unbearable laughter to die down. It stopped abruptly as she too began eating her food hungrily and I sighed in relief.

"You do know there are supposed to be three meals a day right?" she said suddenly as she stared at me angrily. It was amazing how her facial expressions changed so rapidly. "Breakfast, lunch and dinner. But I only seem to have dinner everyday. Do you think I'm fat? Is this your polite way of hinting that I should lose some weight?" Her words dripped with sarcasm.

My whole body tensed as I realised I had been neglecting her other meals. I had been so caught up with our dinner dates I completely forgot about lunch and breakfast. Now I really felt horrible.

"I'm so terribly sorry, I completely forgot. I would never do it on purpose, I don't think you're fat at all!" I exclaimed feeling extremely embarrassed. I was such a rotten host, no wonder she hated me. "I'll bring something tomorrow, before work."

"Thank god, I'm beginning to look like a walking skeleton," she said touching her cheeks.

That was when I noticed how thin she had become. I squirmed in my seat as I realized I had been starving her these past few days. I felt like the most horrid person ever.

"Is there anything else you need?" I asked making sure I wasn't neglecting anything else.

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is,"she replied. "I need something to occupy my time with. I need books and music. The silence and boredom has been driving me crazy. And I need to get out of this place for awhile, even an hour would be great. These four walls are all I see every minute of the day and I really can't take it."

The books and music I could care take of but the part about her leaving the room would be a bit hard to achieve. First of all I would have to barricade my entire house before I could let her upstairs. There was also the fact that she'd tried to escape at least twice already. The second time she almost succeeded thanks to my lack of awareness. Why did she have to do that? I had lost all trust in her ever since and it would take some time before I would even consider letting her upstairs.

"Okay I'll get you a mini radio. What books would you like?" I asked.

"Hmmm, anything's fine I'm not fussy. Some Dan Brown and Jeffrey Archer would be nice. Oh and Lord of the Rings too. There's a psychology book you should read. It's called Classical Conditioning by Ivan Pavlov. Once you've read it you will understand why I've asked you to read it."

There was a bitter tone in her voice as she mentioned the last book and I wondered why. "What's it about? Is it a story book?"

She looked at me incredulously like I was stupid. "No, it's definitely not a story book. It's a theory, just read it will you?"

"Okay, I will as soon as possible."

"Hooray," she mumbled sarcastically. "And when can I go upstairs? I'm not asking for much, just a few hours. Please you don't understand what it is like waking up everyday to the same furniture and the same four walls knowing that its's all you're ever going to see."

I felt bad, I really did. How could I improvise on this request? I definitely couldn't bring her into my living room, there were windows everywhere. My bed room on the other hand would be much easier to lock up. I smiled at the thought of the both of us on my bed together and then the dirty thoughts started flowing in.

I imagined the two of us sitting on my bed in close proximity. That would be the perfect setting to light some sparks between us. It was just what I needed. Yes, my bed room would be perfect.

"If you promise not to try and escape again I should be able to arrange something."

"Yes, I promise a million times. When can we go up?"

"In about 4 days? I just need to arrange a few things first."

She was hesitant before she replied. "Fine."

"Oh and another thing. I can only take you to my bedroom. We could spend some time there before you come back down. I have a Tv there so we could watch a movie or something."

"You've got to be joking. Why can't we go out into the garden or sit in your living room. Even the kitchen sounds better."

The garden? Was she serious? I would be a mad man to take her out in the garden. One scream and my neighbours would be out within minutes.

"No it's too risky. My bedroom is the only option you have, I'm sorry."

"Fine," she said half heartedly. "And it's only because I'm so desperate to get out of this room. Don't get any ideas in your head, okay?"

"Of course," I said but I could barely hide the excitement in my voice. My bed had felt so empty these past few months but in four days I would have the most beautiful person in the world sitting on it. With me.

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