My Once True North

A Stone's Throw Away

The guy told Maya to change into her pajamas. She nodded and quickly went to the bathroom to freshen up. She let the warm water of the shower wash away the remnants of the allergic reaction and the emotions that came with it. She changed into her comfortable pajamas and made her way to the balcony, where the guy was sitting, sipping his coffee.

He looked up as she approached, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Feeling better?" he asked.

Maya nodded, taking a seat next to him. She breathed in the cool night air and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for helping me earlier," she said, looking at him with gratitude in her eyes.

The guy just smiled and shook his head. "Don't mention it. I'm just glad you're okay."

There was a moment of silence between them before the guy spoke up again. "Maya, can I ask you something?"

She looked at him, curious. "Sure, what is it?"

"Why did you come back to this place and book the same room where you had a memory with your ex-fiance?" he asked, his voice soft but full of curiosity.

"What did you lose?" he asked softly.

Maya hesitated for a moment before speaking, her voice shaking slightly. She didn't want to reveal everything to him.

"I honestly don't know much but this much I know: in the process of finding what I lost, I lost myself," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "I lost who I was before I got engaged. I lost my confidence, my independence, my sense of self. And I'm hoping that by coming back here, I can find that part of me again and accept the fact that maybe this is it for me. It's time to let go, so I can at least find myself."

The guy listened to her words, feeling a sense of empathy for her. He didn't know what to say, but he knew that he wanted to support her in any way he could. He looked at her intently, trying to read the emotions in her eyes. He could sense the pain and sadness that she was trying to hide. "I understand," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand in his. "Sometimes we have to go back to the place where we lost something to find it again."

Maya looked at him, her heart racing at the warmth of his touch. She felt safe with him, and it was a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. "What about you?" she asked, wanting to know more about the guy. "Why did you come here? Why did you book this room?"

The guy hesitated for a moment before answering. "I didn't book this room or this flight," he said. "It was all arranged by my family. They thought I needed a vacation to clear my mind."

Maya looked at him with no surprise at all. "Why? What's been bothering you?"

The guy looked away, his gaze fixed on the twinkling stars in the sky. "I don't remember," he a, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Have you ever heard of the tale of the True North?" he asked Maya out of the blue.

"No, I haven't," she replied, intrigued.

"Well, it's an old legend passed down from generation to generation," he began. "It's said that if you can find the True North, you'll find the way to your destiny."

Maya listened intently as the guy continued his story.

"They say that a long time ago, there was a great explorer who sailed the seas in search of the True North. He had heard stories of a magical compass that could point you in the direction of your destiny. So he set out on a journey to find it."

"The journey was long and treacherous, but he was determined to find the True North. He sailed through storms and battled with sea monsters, but he never gave up."