“Han, what are you doing here?”
“I guess it’s a good thing it was me that sat down next to you, and not a mugger.” He gave her a smirk, then replied, “I thought you agreed not to run away.”
She sighed and went back to her drawing. “I’m not running away. I’m finding my own ride to Pennsylvania. After what happened at the restaurant, though, I’m not sure I wanna go, anymore.”
Han winced at the statement and the loneliness in her voice. “Shera, Collin can be an idiot sometimes. He’s not always like this. I’ve done a lot of things over the years that made it hard for him. I get why he’s being an ass.”
She looked at him. “What does all of this have to do with me?” Han opened his mouth, and she interrupted, “And don’t tell me it doesn’t!”
“It really doesn’t, Shera. He doesn’t want me spending time with any female co-workers if it doesn’t pertain to work. It’s my own fault, and it has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
“Accept that we’ve been spending time together.”
“A lot of time together, and he’s concerned. Someone told him you stayed with me last night.”
“But that was…”
“I told him that, but he doesn’t believe me. To make matters worse, Liam saw us outside the restaurant. I don’t know what he saw or what he told Collin, but it hasn’t helped the situation.”
“I’ll talk to him, then.”
Han shook his head. “He won’t believe you, either. He’ll just think you’re trying to protect me.”
She looked at the floor. “I never should’ve agreed to come. All of this was a mistake.” She felt the surge of pain from Han, as she finished the statement. She turned to him and grabbed his hand. “Han, I didn’t mean…”
“I know what you meant.” He squeezed her hand. “It’s okay. I had a similar thought after I found out you ran off. Maybe, if I had stayed away, you would still be with the group, and not running off to a bus station.”
“No, Han, I didn’t leave because of you. I’m independent, and I don’t like people telling me what to do. I’ve been that way for a long time. Also, I’m not comfortable with people knowing about my nightmares, much less witnessing them. Now, everyone knows. The last thing I wanted, was to be trapped in that van, with a bunch of people, who can’t handle it.”
He arched his brow, “How do you know they couldn’t handle it?”
She looked at him obstinately, “Han, I’ve known two people in my life, who knew what to do, when I get that way.” She looked away, embarrassed.
“And your answer was to get on a bus full of strangers?”
“I don’t sleep on public transportation, Han. I can’t handle so much emotion and intent. It makes me uncomfortable. Plus, I’d hate to stab a man in the eye with a pencil for shoving his hand up my shirt, when I was trying to sleep.” She gave him a smirk, and held up the pencil, “They’re hard to find and expensive.”
He laughed. “Well, are you going to hop on a bus full of strangers, or will you ride home with me?”
“What about Collin?”
“Do you care what he thinks?”
“No, but…”
“Neither do I. It’s my car, and if you want to ride in it, you can.”
She smiled at him, and replied, “Okay, but can I finish my drawing?”
He grinned. “How about a compromise.” He pulled out his phone and snapped a photo. “Will that do?”
“I usually prefer real-life models, but… that camera is amazing.”
“I buy the phone for the camera. So, do we get off at the next stop?”
She gave him a smile. “I guess so.”
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