Wait.
Hold on a second. I've got to reverse here.
Nothing like that occurred.
That trip wasn't made solo. My foot never touched the gas without company.
Two hours down the road, I brought the car to a halt. A rest area appeared, so I turned off the engine. The highway stretched forward, lifeless under gray light. Still seated, I watched it without moving.
Then I spun backward.
ONE WEEK EARLIER
Long after Jayce left the park bench, an hour passed while I stayed sitting. The space beside me grew cold under a slow sky.
Staring into space. Questions spinning through my head. What even is this path I'm walking - where's it going.
Truth sat there, clear. Choosing him wasn't about passion. It was a quiet plan B. A soft place landing after fire left marks on my skin.
Yet perched by myself on that seat, it hit me. Something shifted.
Perhaps it worked out fine.
