Baggage Claim
864 Words
The plane had barely touched down in Kyoto when Liana felt it: a heaviness settling over her, thick and almost suffocating. She had been on a physical journey, sure, but now, sitting in the window seat, staring at the sprawling city below, she felt a weight she hadn’t anticipated.
Cael was still with her. Or, at least, his presence was. Even as she stepped off the plane and into the crowds of travelers, his memory followed her like a shadow.
She could still taste him on her lips.
As she made her way to baggage claim, her thoughts wandered back to the tea house—the quiet garden, the delicate clink of wind chimes, his gentle touch. And yet, she had left it all behind. She wasn’t someone who lingered. She moved, she left, and now she was here. In Kyoto. Alone.
When her bag finally appeared on the conveyor belt, she could feel her chest tighten. It was heavy, this bag, as if it carried more than clothes. More than memories.
It carried the weight of what she had left behind.
She grabbed the handle and pulled it toward her, trying to ignore the knot in her throat. The airport was bustling, but she felt... separate. Like a stranger in her own skin.
Her phone buzzed. A message.
[Unknown Number]
"I hope your flight was peaceful. Let me know when you get to your hotel."
It was from Cael.
She paused before responding. Her fingers hovered over the screen.
Why had he sent the message? Why hadn’t he just said goodbye?
After a moment, she typed back.
[Liana]
"I made it. Hotel’s about 10 minutes away."
[Cael]
"Good. I’m glad."
There was a beat of silence before another message appeared.
[Cael]
"I’ll be here for a while. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to reach out."
Her heart clenched. A part of her wanted to text back something sarcastic, to shut it all down. But another part—an unfamiliar part—wanted to let him in.
But she didn’t.
She shoved her phone back into her bag and made her way toward the taxi stand.
Kyoto was beautiful, of course. Ancient temples stood in the shadow of modern buildings, and the air was thick with the scent of cherry blossoms and history. She checked into her hotel and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the city. There was something calming about the old streets—something grounding. The tension in her shoulders loosened with every step, but the ache in her chest didn’t quite fade.
She found herself at a small café by the river. The warm sun had given way to a cool evening breeze, and she ordered tea, absentmindedly watching the boats drift by.
Her phone buzzed again.
[Cael]
"I hope you’re doing well. Just checking in."
She hesitated for a moment before typing a reply.
[Liana]
"I’m fine."
[Cael]
"Okay."
There was a pause before another message came.
[Cael]
"I’m not good at this. I don’t know what I’m supposed to say. I just don’t want you to think I’m trying to hold you to something you don’t want."
Liana blinked at the screen. What was he saying?
[Cael]
"I just want you to know that whatever happens, you’ve made a difference. Even if it’s just for this one moment."
Her breath caught. She stared at the words, feeling their weight settle in her chest.
He made a difference, too. In her.
Liana pressed the phone into her chest, staring at the screen for a long while. She wasn’t ready to respond. Not yet.
The next morning, she woke up to a message from Cael.
[Cael]
"I don’t want to be your baggage."
She didn’t know how to respond to that. Was he apologizing? Was he giving her an out?
Liana didn’t know. But she felt a wave of something—grief, maybe. Or longing. Or something in between.
She didn’t answer him right away.
Instead, she wandered the streets of Kyoto, lost in the beauty of it all. The city felt like a dream—ethereal, fleeting. Her mind kept returning to the tea house, to the way Cael had kissed her as though she were something precious. Something fragile.
She missed him. But that wasn’t the point, was it?
Kyoto was supposed to be a fresh start. She couldn’t carry the weight of a stranger’s grief, of a kiss that had meant more than it should have.
But as the sun set on her first full day in the city, she felt it. That quiet pull in her chest. Like an invisible thread connecting her to Cael.
She wondered what would have happened if she had just stayed. Stayed in that quiet world, under the shadow of plum trees and wind chimes.
Instead, she was there, with nothing but unanswered questions.
She went back to her hotel that night, and her phone buzzed again.
[Cael]
"If you ever come back, you’ll know where to find me."
Liana stared at the words. For a moment, the world outside her hotel room felt distant. She was alone. But wasn’t she always alone?
Her heart ached with the thought.
- Writer
