The Run

183

Omaha, Nebraska.

She decided that South Dakota, at this time of the year, was already too cold for her, so we headed south. With no specific direction in mind, I drove for a while, crossing the border to Nebraska and continuing in as much a straight line as I could, trying to avoid steering west. I don't think she's noticed.

She took the seat behind the wheel after we've stopped for lunch, and she didn't really seem to want to head towards the coast anyway because, at some point when we reached that town called Alliance, she decided to leave route 385 to go East. She didn't say anything, didn't ask, didn't check if it was okay for me, and I didn't actually mind. As long as we didn't go near LA or Columbus, I would have been quite fine with anywhere, really. 

She tried to get us to stop at that place called Blue Gills Cabins, because she used to go on summer vacations in that type of accommodation when she was a kid. I did my best not to roll my eyes - nostalgia still irks me -, but I think she saw me. Anyway, it was out of the question for me, and I tried to keep it cool, explaining to her with simple words that secluded cabins in the heart of fucking nowhere didn't match well with me being wanted by state and national authorities alike, which, after a bit of thinking, she seemed to understand. If she hadn't, I would have mentioned the countless horror movies that happen in cabins in the middle of the woods. Pretty sure that would have made her change her mind. 

That said, we ended up driving all the way to Omaha. Big city, less chance of being singled out when checking into motels because they probably have too many customers daily. She got that right.

On the way there, we went through a village called Halsey. I didn't even know this existed. She was driving then, and I felt my heart tug when I saw the sign, so I closed my eyes, hoping she would go faster, hoping these streets that we passed held nothing more than just a familiar name. But all I saw behind my eyelids was your face when you officially met her, Halsey or Ashley, at that awards ceremony - I don't even remember which one. The whole thing was weird and I'm still not sure why, but you never took a liking to her. One more thing I will never know about you.

Emmie seemed to notice I got weird. She ended up being way more silent that she had been for the past few hours, and we didn't say a word until we reached our final destination for the day. 

I'm now sitting at a table in one of these countless motel rooms I've visited ever since I left Columbus, writing this to the ghost of you. I wonder why I keep doing this. It's not like you'll ever read them anyway. But I guess it helps. It keeps me going until... Until the day I'll finally be allowed to shut those voices up for good. But I'm not going to think about this right now.

Emmie's in the shower. Although I suggested we both take different rooms this time, she insisted on the contrary and got us a double room. It actually makes sense: traveling as a couple will be a great cover for me. I'm afraid to admit it, but she's kinda good when it comes to staying undercover. I wonder how she knows all that. And above all, I wonder why she's just so eager to help. She could easily get away, sell me out to the authorities and earn a reward for that - I heard there's a cash prize on my head - or she could even threaten me and get part of my money as well. What actually makes her stay?

I guess I'll have to find out, and I'm sure I will sooner rather than later, what with her propensity for talking and such. The girl never shuts up, except at awkward times when she feels she really can't say anything. I have learned more about her in a day than I ever did my own girlfriend in more than a year of relationship. I know her shoe size. I know she doesn't  blow dries her hair like, ever. I know the name of her mom, her dad - the one who raised her - and her biological father - the one who left. I know she likes to read, as she's complained about not having a book to keep her company the whole time I was driving. Hell, I even know that she bought a present for her mom's dog last Christmas.

But all of this is insignificant. I'll surely have to pry to get the information I really want, and although it doesn't fit the reputation I already have, I'm sure I'll make it work. You see, I've realized that if I really want to understand why she's agreed to staying with me, if I really want the only information that matters for her to keep me in her good graces, I'll have to give information as well. And I will. Drip by drip. Little by little. I know I have to.

I'm not sure of this is going to end up. I don't even know if I'll manage to keep her for six months, let alone one... but you know what? I'm slowly coming around the idea that I'll have to end the plan sooner than expected. And that's fine by me. I'm ready.

|-/

Wow, an update already? So soon after the last one? Is this really happening?

Yeah, I'm on a roll, I've already started writing the next chapter! I don't know how long this will last, so enjoy it while you can! And let me know what you think in the comments!