Page 3 of When The Mountains Held Us

A joke. That was a joke, Oakley.

My blush deepens, and I clear my throat, nervously tucking another stray strand of hair behind my ear in a nervous tic.

“Right, sorry. I really need to get through. I have an appointment…” I trail off, my eyes darting to the clock on the dash. I’m now running seven minutes late for my meeting with the building manager. I swallow a groan, my nerves tightening and twisting in my stomach the longer I sit here wasting time.

“I’m sorry. Justin’s a dick, but he’s right. You’ll have to go around.”

This time, there’s no holding back the groan as I drop my head back against the headrest and roll my eyes up to the stained headliner. Taking a deep breath, I hold it for a moment before letting it out slowly and meeting the stranger’s eyes again.

They’re soft and apologetic, but not the kind of polite apology typically reserved for someone you don’t know. His eyebrows furrow to form a small crease between them, but his eyes still hold the same gentleness as when he first appeared at the window.

“I take it you’re not from around here.” It’s not a question, and the words hold no judgment. It almost makes it worse.

“Is it that obvious?” I ask warily, my words hollow, but no less true. Speaking them aloud seems to give physical form to my mental exhaustion.

I am so tired of being tired.

I’m tired of being the outsider.

I’m tired of running.

I need a break, and this is supposed to be it. It feels like every minor setback digs me a little deeper into myself, and at this point, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to dig myself out.

The man flashes me another one of those gentle smiles and places his arm on the window, gesturing ahead of us and to the right. It doesn’t feel as intimidating to have him close like it did when Justin did it. That fact alone should be raising the hairs on the back of my neck.

Then again, if the past few months and the life I’m running from are any indication, my inner sense of self-preservation is clearly skewed.

“Tell ya what. You’re going to take a right up ahead and follow that all the way down.”

I nod absently as the man gives directions, trying my best to commit them to memory. He talks slowly, glancing over at me to make sure I’m understanding, nothing but kind patience in his tone. I listen carefully and nod along.

When he finishes speaking, he turns to look at me, and my breath catches in my throat at his intense green gaze. I stare for the briefest of moments, taking note of the way the sunlight reflects off the flecks of gold in his irises. I avert my gaze and nervously fumble with the bag on the passenger seat, if only to give myself something to do with my hands.

The breeze blows gently through the window, carrying with it the smell of fresh air and sweat, and I breathe a little deeper. If only I could capture the alluring scent and carry it with me.

What the hell is wrong with me? Now, instead of driving like hell towards the meeting I’m already late for, I’m sitting here sniffing a stranger, my body practically begging me to rub myself in his scent.

I am fucking losing it.

“Thank you so much,” I say, truly meaning it. “I should get going; I’m already late.”

He nods, gives me a small smile, and raps his knuckles twice on the window frame before taking a step back from the car.

My mind clears a bit in the absence of him, and I refocus on the task ahead—remembering his directions long enough to get me where I need to go. I put the car back in drive, inching forward towards the road he indicated.

“Don’t be a stranger. It’s a small town. I’m sure I’ll see you around,” he calls as I start to pull away. Awkwardly, I raise a hand in farewell as I make the turn and set out on the open stretch of road ahead of me.

I try and subsequently fail to repeat his instructions as I drive, but for whatever reason, only those last few words of his echo in my mind.

I’m sure I’ll see you around.

Something in those words sounded like a silent promise, and I recall, with no small amount of trepidation, the way those same words sounded all those months ago—the night before my entire life changed.

But unlike Travis, the way the stranger said them held a hidden promise of an entirely different sort.

Curiosity claws at me as I take the first turn. I wonder if I’ll be around long enough to figure it out.

Three