When We Were Whole

I. Unlucky

The day was not going well for Nathan Carter. In just an hour, he'd managed to burn his toast and spilled his coffee all over his uniform, and Lily—bless her sweet soul—had decided to throw her breakfast on the floor. As if that wasn't enough, he had no money for the bus. Seriously, one dollar and fifty cents for a bus ticket? He had no time to deposit money right now. Asking for help was not something Nathan did. In fact, he hated it, but this called for desperate measures. Emilia, who he'd met the first day he moved in, begrudgingly gave him a few bucks. She was the closest thing he could call a friend, and her being great with kids may have played a role in it. Naturally, she became Lily's free babysitter. He offered to pay her plenty of times, but she'd shrug and laugh at him, tell him that he was already financially unstable enough.

Grabbing his keys, he kissed Lily on the forehead and nearly tripped over his own feet running out the door. He could still hear Emi's laughter as he left, muttering, "Your father is one strange man, isn't he, Lily?" Great. Add being teased by your friend to the list of things going wrong today.

Now, he was running late. Only three months into the job, and he was already building a reputation. He wouldn't be surprised if they fired him for this. But the owner was nice—moody, sure, but nice in her own way. Hopefully, he'd get off with just another warning.

The bus stop finally came into view, and he let out a sigh of relief. If he could just make it in time for the bus, that would be one small victory for today. He didn't think he could handle another fail. He knew he looked a mess—his clothes were rumpled, sweat was trickling down his forehead, and his hair was a disaster. That part, at least, was nothing new. His hair had a mind of its own, and without product, it was a lost cause. Normally, the nine-minute walk to the bus stop wasn't a problem, but now, after a five-minute sprint, he was left breathless and panting.

He barely made it. But hey, he made it. Everything from that point on passed in a blur. One minute he was running for the bus, the next, he was handing over his ticket and squeezing through the doors, out of breath and looking completely out of place. He could see people turn their heads in his direction, probably trying to catch a glimpse of the crazy guy who'd yelled "Stop!" just as the bus was about to leave. That... totally wasn't him.

"Excuse me," Nathan murmured as he bumped into passengers along the aisle. "Pardon me. Sorry, ma'am."

He could feel the judging stares, and he desperately wanted to explain that this wasn't a regular occurrence. Today had just been... hectic.

As he moved toward the back of the bus, he accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

"Pardon me," he said, looking up to see a man sitting in front of him. Everything about this guy screamed "money." The suit, the shoes, the watch—definite signs. But it was the way he carried himself that really gave it away. Nathan didn't need to see the designer clothes to know this man was wealthy. Great, that made him feel so much better.

Stay calm, he told himself. Don't stare at the clothes. Rich people love bragging if you give them any attention.

"It's quite alright," the man replied, his voice low, with an accent that wasn't local. Not that Nathan expected him to be from here. Chicago had a pretty diverse population, but the accent still caught him off guard. It sounded familiar, like he'd heard it somewhere before. He shrugged it off. He watched too many movies, anyway.

As Nathan stepped past, he noticed the man's gaze following him. His eyes were wide as if he'd seen a ghost. It was a little unsettling, but he tried to ignore it. No need to make a scene. He slowed his pace, determined not to trip over himself again like he had that one time.

As Nathan finally took his seat, he let out a long sigh. He could relax now, even if it was just for a little bit. He never really had the time to relax these days. He rested his head against the window and watched as neighborhoods flashed by in a blur. The soft chatter from other passengers, the turn of a page, and the click-clack of a laptop next to him were all familiar to him, and it never failed to make his body calm down. After that run, he needed it.