Soulmate Run

Just for tonight

The bus slowed to a stop.

One by one, people stood, collected their bags, and stepped into the aisle.

I stayed where I was.

I watched them leave.

A mother holding her son's hand.

An elderly couple arguing quietly over which bag was theirs.

A student with headphones around his neck.

Normal people.

People who knew where they were going.

People who had someone waiting for them.

Within minutes, the bus was almost empty.

The driver glanced at me through the mirror.

"Last stop."

I blinked.

"Oh..."

I quickly picked up my backpack.

"Sorry."

Stepping off the bus felt strangely final.

The doors folded shut behind me.

A second later, the bus pulled away.

I stood there, watching it disappear down the road.

And just like that...

I was alone.

I looked around slowly.

An unfamiliar town.

Unfamiliar faces.

No home.

No plan.

No idea what came next.

My stomach growled.

Only then did I realize how long it had been since I'd eaten.

I looked down at myself.

The same hoodie.

The same jeans.

I'd slept in them.

Run in them.

Escaped in them.

I hadn't showered.

Hadn't brushed my teeth.

I probably looked as exhausted as I felt.

My phone vibrated.

I already knew who it was before I looked.

Amara Calling...

My thumb hovered over the screen.

I wanted to answer.

God...

I wanted to hear her voice.

Instead...

I watched it ring until the screen went dark.

Almost immediately...

It rang again.

Then again.

Each call hurt a little more than the last.

Finally...

The ringing stopped.

A notification appeared.

3 New Voice Messages.

I hesitated before pressing play.

"Aria..."

Amara's voice was shaky.

"I've been calling since this morning."

A small pause.

"I'm really worried."

Another pause.

"Please..."

"Just let me know you're okay."

The message ended.

I closed my eyes.

The second one started automatically.

"I don't know what's going on..."

"...but you're scaring me."

"I wish you'd just answer."

Silence.

Then a quiet sniffle.

The recording ended.

I couldn't bring myself to play the third.

My finger hovered over the call button beneath her name.

One tap.

That was all it would take.

One tap...

And she'd answer.

She'd ask where I was.

She'd want to come.

She'd want to help.

And if they were watching me...

They'd find her too.

I slowly lowered the phone.

"I'm sorry..."

The whisper disappeared into the wind.

"I can't lose you too."

I slipped the phone back into my pocket before I could change my mind.

For several minutes...

I simply sat on the bench outside the station.

People came.

People left.

No one noticed me.

I opened my backpack.

The envelope.

The key.

Dad's photograph.

Everything I'd managed to save from my old life.

Not enough to explain anything.

Not enough to tell me where to go next.

I looked across the street.

A small motel stood on the opposite side.

Nothing about it stood out.

It looked old.

Cheap.

Forgettable.

Exactly the kind of place nobody would look twice at.

I reached into my pocket and counted the cash I had left.

Enough.

Barely.

I picked up my backpack.

Crossed the street.

Stopped outside the entrance.

"...Just for tonight."

I took a deep breath...

...and walked inside.