Within Amelia's Mind

Amelia stood at the bus station long after the bus to Portland was gone.

The cold seeped into her bones, the streetlights flickering overhead. Her body felt hollow, like she had already left, like some part of her had gotten on that bus and disappeared, but somehow, she was still here.

She didn't know what to do next.

She had been so sure she was going to run. So sure she needed to.

But she hadn't.

And now she was just... stuck.

Her hands trembled as she dug through her pocket, pulling out her phone. The screen was cracked, smudged with dirt and blood from the night before.

Twelve missed calls.

Ten from Derek.

Two from Ryan.

Her stomach clenched.

She should've known Derek wouldn't just let her disappear.

Her fingers hovered over the screen. She could call him back. She could tell him where she was, let him come get her, let him yell at her, let him be Derek.

But that meant facing him.

Facing the fact that she had been two steps away from leaving him behind, from proving every fear he had about her right.

The thought made her chest ache.

Her vision blurred for a second. She sucked in a sharp breath, forcing it back, forcing everything back.

Then, like he had some sixth sense for when she was about to break, her phone rang again.

Derek.

She stared at the screen, pulse hammering.

She could ignore it. She could turn the phone off, keep running, let him think she was really gone this time.

But she didn't.

She swiped to answer, pressing the phone to her ear.

Silence for half a second. Then—

"Amelia."

Derek's voice was rough, breathless. Desperate.

Her throat tightened. "Hey."

A sharp exhale, like he had been holding his breath for hours.

"Where the hell are you?"

She hesitated, glancing around. "Bus station."

She heard movement on the other end, the jingle of keys, the sound of a door slamming. "Stay there."

She didn't argue.

For once in her life, she just let herself be found.