Prelude to kisses

Chapter 26

Jackie was on the road again, only this time she wasn't running, nor was she going back to the place she'd left the same person she had been all those months ago. The call came two weeks ago. Was she surprised? A little, but she felt this was long overdue. That didn't take away her excitement though, quite the contrary, her hands were sweating, and she couldn't count the number of times she'd wiped them on her blue jeans.

"I can't believe they are getting married and having a baby all in a few months", Jossie said next to her.

"I can't either, it must be a lot for Angie".

"I can't wait to see her get fat", Jossie laughed and shifted her weight on the bus seat to get comfortable.

"Do you want to get married one day, have kids somewhere in the future?"

Jossie didn't think for a second before she answered, "No, I'm happier without those things. I think it's great, I just don't think it's great for me".

"Not at all?" for someone who loved love and loved relationships, she couldn't imagine her life without a man in her life. Not necessarily as a husband but as a partner, a friend and someone she could lean on. Someone who knew and saw her in ways that was almost impossible to in a platonic relationship. Her dating life, as horrible of an experience as it was, she realized that she wanted it all the same. She wanted it stable and healthy. She wasn't in a hurry to have it, she wanted it to come to her at the right time, when she had done the work herself and could feel self-sufficient enough.

"No, not at all. I love it for other people, just not for myself. I've seen myself in relationship and I just don't like myself".

"Maybe it was just the wrong relationship, you know".

"I know how you mean, but it's definitely not like that for me. I'm happier when I'm traveling, when I make decisions that make me happy and whenever I want to. I spent most of my life in relationships. I've done long term relationships, but I've never been happy than I am now. Dating taught me that, it made me realize just how good it feels to make this choice to be single for the rest of my life".

Jackie was looking right into Jossie's eyes as she spoke, there didn't feel to be a lie in everything she said, she seemed genuine in her observations and happy with her decisions, Jackie couldn't help but understand the woman sitting next to her.

Life was all about choices and nothing fulfilled you more than making a decision and it being a hundred percent yours. Weighing in your options and having them laid down in front of you, having the freedom to pick this over that without a soul to judge you. That's why Jossie was so laid back and at peace, Jackie observed. She had this much confidence because she knew she was doing it all on her own but with the knowledge that she didn't have to. That's at any point she could stop and pick another destination.

They were still two hours away from the Midlands, passengers got in and off the bus. It was all a blur as she looked out the window with the trees running to catch up. Buildings and small townships appearing and disappearing out of her sight. She was going back to the place she'd ran away from. There is a chance you will run into Chris; Dylan had warned her over the phone. They had invited him to the engagement party. It would be more of a traditional gathering before the actual wedding. It was good that Dylan had money saved up, she remembered now only that he had confessed to her that he'd been saving to marry her friend. She'd believed him of course; she just didn't think it would happen on such short notice. It also helped that Angie didn't have a large family and her parents were home. There was no need for travels.

 The only person who had to travel home on such a short notice was Jossie didn't seem to mind, that was one of the perks of being single, she could take a trip on a whip and splurge on something ridiculous.