Hearts on the Run

Reflection

The city lights blurred through the rain-splattered window of Claire's apartment, casting soft shadows on the walls. Mia sat on the edge of the couch, her legs tucked under her, a blanket draped over her shoulders. The bustling sounds of the city below were muffled, distant, like the hum of a world she didn't quite belong to.

She hadn't spoken much since she arrived, her words caught in her throat by the weight of her thoughts. Claire had been kind, offering her tea, a quiet space to think, and no questions. But now, as the rain drummed steadily against the window, Mia couldn't escape the thoughts that swirled inside her mind.

Liam.

It had only been a day since she'd left him standing in that motel room, his eyes full of unspoken words, his expression a mixture of hurt and confusion. But it already felt like an eternity. The distance between them was not just physical—it was emotional, a chasm she had created by leaving, by running away from everything they could have been.

Mia sighed, running a hand through her hair as she leaned back against the couch cushions. She had thought that leaving would make things easier, that putting miles between herself and Liam would help her clear her head, help her figure out what she really wanted. But now, all she felt was regret, and an aching emptiness that no amount of distance seemed to fill.

Why had she run?

The answer gnawed at her, clawing its way to the surface even though she had tried to bury it deep down. She knew why she had run. She had been running from the same thing for as long as she could remember—her feelings. The intense, overwhelming emotions that came with letting someone in, with trusting someone enough to break down the walls she had built around herself.

She had been scared. Scared of what it meant to feel so deeply for Liam. Scared of how much power he had over her heart. Scared of the possibility that, if she let him in, he would hurt her just like her ex had.

Her ex.

Mia's chest tightened at the thought of him, the memories of their relationship still fresh, like wounds that hadn't quite healed. He had been charming at first, attentive, everything she had thought she wanted. But slowly, his charm had turned into control, his attention into manipulation. He had worn her down, little by little, until she was a shell of the person she used to be.

She had loved him, or at least she thought she had. But what she hadn't realized until it was too late was that love wasn't supposed to feel like that. Love wasn't supposed to be suffocating, or filled with fear, or make you feel like you weren't good enough.

And Liam—Liam was different.

Mia closed her eyes, the memory of him washing over her. His laugh, his easygoing nature, the way he always seemed to know how to make her smile, even when she didn't want to. He had a lightness about him, a carefree attitude that made her feel like maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders all the time.

But there was more to Liam than that. Beneath the jokes and the teasing, there was a depth to him that she hadn't fully understood until it was too late. He had been hurt too, maybe even more deeply than she had. He hid it well, but in those quiet moments when he let his guard down, Mia had seen the pain in his eyes, the scars that ran deep.

And she had pushed him away.

Mia swallowed hard, a lump forming in her throat as the realization hit her like a punch to the gut. She hadn't left because she didn't care about him. She had left because she did care. Too much. She had been terrified of what that meant, of what it would take to let someone in again after everything she had been through.