Aftermath

I wiped the sweat off my forehead and readjusted my shorts. The sun was blazing down on me, causing my forehead to produce a faint trail of sweat. I quickly grabbed the water bottle from my back pack and took a sip of the refreshing beverage. The stress I was under was making me nauseous and I needed to get to a place with AC fast. "This was your decision Poppy." I reminded myself.

I was running out of money quickly and I needed to find a place to settle down for a while.

As I continued to come up with a plan on how I was going to manage to survive for the next few weeks, I walked into a small diner of to the side of the highway I had been traveling along. Without drawing too much attention to myself, I took a seat in one of the booths in the back. A plump lady who looked to be in her mid-forties came by to take my order. "I'll just have a coffee please." I smiled at her. She returned the gesture a wobbled behind the counter. I looked out the window and started to space out. Memories of why I left home invaded my mind. "It was good that you left." My conscience told me. "They don't love you." She said. "If you would've stayed, they would've killed you." I thought.

I was quickly brought out of my thoughts when I heard the bell to the diner ring. I hadn't realized that the woman had delivered my coffee. I took a sip and immediately regretted it as it burnt my tongue. As I was searching for the women to ask for a glass of water, I noticed a tall man with blonde hair styled up and out of his face. He couldn't possibly be over twenty. He was wearing dark black jeans and a white v-neck shirt. He had sunglasses shading his eyes and he wore a huge smile as he was greeted by the plump woman who had served me. He was simply gorgeous. He must have noticed me staring because he shot me a small smile. I looked down with embarrassment. I sat there with my head down, swirling my now cold coffee with a stirring stick. I heard a booth creak next to me and I shot my head up out of habit. The mysterious blonde was sitting right next to me. I scooted a little to my right to put some distance between us. He looked up at me and smiled. "Hey." He said. I gulped. "Hi." I quickly replied. "Can I help you?" He laughed a little and shook his head. "No no just thought I'd stop in and get a bite to eat before I got back on the road." I stared at him. "Oh." Was all I could manage to say as I peered into his ocean blue eyes. "Yeah. So where are you headed?" He asked. I lightly shook my head to gather my thoughts. "Uh, not really sure. You?" He rubbed his chin slightly as if he was contemplating his answer. "Not sure either." He finally replied. I just nodded my head and continued to stir my coffee. A good ten minutes passes before we spoke again. "You just going t' stir that or are ye gonna drink it?" He chuckled a bit. I looked up at him with wide eyes "it's cold." I said faintly. It must've been loud enough for him to hear though because he was already flagging down the waitress. "Ya know, I never caught you're name, love." He smile at me as the waitress filled our cups. "Poppy. My names poppy." He said it to himself a few times before he spoke to me again. "Poppy. Such a unique name. I like it." He stuck his hand out for me to shake. "I'm Niall. It's lovely to meet you." I blushed a bit. "You too." We made small talk for a good twenty minutes before He stood up and set money down on the table to pay for our drinks. "Well I'd better get going. It was lovely to meet you Poppy. I'll see you around, yeah?" I nodded and gave him a small wave. He returned the gesture and walked out of the diner. I grabbed my backpack and exited it as well. I felt a sad sort of feeling when Niall left. I have no explanation as to why, but something just feels like it's missing. I start my walk down the highway to try and find a hotel for the night.

I must have walked at least 12 miles until I stumbled upon a small rundown motel located in a desolate area on the middle of what I suspected to be Colorado. Or at least that's what I'm assuming since there is a huge map of Colorado on the wall. It was nearly empty with the exception of a few cars here and there. I rung the bell and waited for somebody to come up to the front desk. I tapped my fingers on the desk while examining my surroundings. It wasn't until I heard someone clear their throat that I snapped out of my trance. An elderly man with a reciting hairline and faint wrinkles all over his face gave me a friendly smile. I returned the gesture and decided to speak up, "hi, I was wondering how much your cheapest room was for a night." I stated. "Our cheapest room is $25.00 a night. It comes furnished with a queen size bed, a bathroom, and free breakfast the next morning." He read off. "Perfect I'll take it!" I said. He turned around and grabbed the room key and handed it to me. "Room 6 it should be the third door on the left. Have a good night!" And with that I walked down the corridor and into my room where I fell asleep almost instantly.

A/N:

HEY GUYS ITS TAYLOR HERE! This is a new fanfic I'm working on! I've got a lot planned for the next chapter so keep reading! Don't forget to comment and vote! Thanks ily guys 💕