Hearts on the Run

First Glimpse Beneath the Surface

The rhythmic hum of the tires against the asphalt was oddly soothing as Mia leaned back against the seat, staring out at the passing landscape. They had been on the road for a few hours now, and with the stars twinkling overhead, a sense of calm had washed over her. The weight of the past, while still present, felt a little lighter. But the soothing atmosphere was abruptly disrupted when her phone buzzed violently in her lap.

Mia glanced down and saw the name flashing across the screen: Jake. Her heart sank, and she hesitated, fingers hovering over the screen. A small part of her wanted to answer; the larger part of her, the one she was trying to reconnect with, screamed to ignore it.

"Are you going to get that?" Liam asked, glancing over as he navigated a bend in the road.

"No," she replied firmly, but her voice betrayed the uncertainty that lingered just beneath the surface. "It's just my ex."

"Gotcha," he said lightly, but she could hear the concern in his tone. "You sure you don't want to pick it up? Might be something important."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed, shaking her head as if to dismiss the thought entirely. "Important for him, maybe."

"Fair enough," Liam replied, but the weight of the conversation lingered, an invisible thread connecting them that made Mia feel exposed. She could feel him watching her, as if gauging her reaction to the call.

With a deep breath, she let the phone buzz on. Each ring felt like a tiny, piercing reminder of her past, echoing in her chest. She tried to focus on the road ahead, but her mind was a battlefield of conflicting emotions. What would he want? Just to poke at old wounds? Or to demand she come back?

The phone finally fell silent, and Mia felt a momentary sense of relief. She glanced out the window again, watching the trees blur by in the darkness. But the peace was short-lived. Her thoughts spiraled back to memories of Jake—the way he used to laugh, the little things he did that had once made her feel special. But just like that, the warmth of those memories shifted into bitterness.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked, breaking through her reverie. "You look... tense."

Mia shot him a glance, caught off guard by the genuine concern in his eyes. "I'm fine," she said quickly, but the shaky tone of her voice told a different story. The truth was, she was anything but fine. The turmoil of emotions inside her bubbled up, threatening to overflow.

She clenched her fists in her lap, trying to will away the tightness in her chest. "I just... don't want to deal with this right now," she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

"What's going on?" Liam pressed gently, his eyes fixed on the road ahead but the focus of his attention unmistakable. "You can talk to me."

For a moment, Mia considered the idea of opening up to him. He had been kind and understanding so far, a calming presence in a world that felt chaotic. But the walls she had built around herself were high and sturdy, and she wasn't ready to let anyone in—especially not a stranger.

"It's just a frustrating situation with my ex," she said, keeping her tone even. "He just doesn't get it. He thinks I'm going to just drop everything and come back."

"Sounds rough," Liam said, his voice steady. "But you're not going back, right? You're on this trip for a reason."

She nodded, the intensity of the emotions swirling inside her threatening to spill over. "I know that. But it's hard to let go. He keeps calling and texting, and I feel like I'm being pulled back into something I don't want."

"Have you told him that?" Liam asked, glancing at her momentarily. "That you need space?"

Mia sighed, frustration boiling just beneath the surface. "I've tried. But he just doesn't understand. It's like he's trapped in this bubble where he thinks everything can go back to how it was. It can't. Not after everything."