Page 6 of Silver
A two-hour trek later, I reached a small town. It wasn’t anything special and I quickly located the bus station where I took the bus to a bigger city, using up a lot of my savings just for the trip, but it was worth it. This world truly was just like ours; it was even easy for me to understand how their bus schedules worked. As soon as I entered the bus and found my seat, I leaned against the window and passed out, still exhausted from the long treks both yesterday and today.
Many hours later, when I’d reached my destination, I was walking past an apartment building in the city, looking for sheds I could sneak into so I wouldn’t have to sleep outside in the cold. That’s where I spotted a barefooted woman yelling up at a window.
“Um,” I began, not knowing if I should interrupt her or not, but she had to be freezing out here.
She turned away and gave me a sheepish smile. “Ah, sorry. My idiot boyfriend, or now ex, just threw me out. Apparently, he didn’t like arguing with me when he was drunk.” I felt sorry for her, so I took off my backpack and eased out of my jacket. I tended to hold on to body heat more easily, and with her only wearing a baggy t-shirt, she needed the jacket more than me. “Thank you,” she said, eagerly taking my jacket and pulling it on. “My name’s Emma.”
“Wilston,” I replied, giving her a soft smile. “Do you have anyone to call? Or a key… somewhere?” I eyed her figure and knew there was likely no key.
“I already called my dad. He should be here in a couple of minutes.” I nodded, then eyed the window. The ex hadn’t shown himself in the time I’d been here, so I figured he truly didn’t care what happened to Emma.
“I’ll stay with you until he comes, then,” I said, knowing I couldn’t leave her out here alone. She would either get sick or hurt if someone came by, looking for trouble.
She eyed me, not with suspicion, but more likely curiosity. “I appreciate that. There’s a bench near the parking lot, we can sit there so my feet can escape the ground.”
I followed her and offered one of my t-shirts as a blanket over her lap. She didn’t mind sitting on the bench, but I could tell the cold wind nipped at her thighs. She gave me a thankful smile and tugged the shirt over her legs and sighed with relief. “I never believed in the whole guardian angel thing, but you have to be mine,” she said, smiling up at the dark night sky.
I didn’t say anything to that, content with waiting in silence until she was picked up. I contemplated asking her if she knew of a place I could rest, or if she knew of a place that was hiring. But before I could ask, she asked, “You on the run from something?”
“Huh?” I asked, not really knowing what she meant by that.
She laughed softly. “I was just trying to figure out why you have a backpack with clothes and find yourself outside at night. I’ve never seen you here before, do you live around here?”
I shook my head. “Just passing through.”
“Where are you headed then?”
“Hopefully some place I can get a job,” I admitted, hoping she could somehow help me out.
“You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”
I shook my head again, not wanting to say too much. Emma could be my biggest help, maybe even the reason I’d survive on Sutiner. No way would I risk scaring her off by saying something rude.
Her dad arrived then, putting a stop to our conversation. I got up from the bench, figuring this would be where we parted ways, but to my surprise, she just tugged my hand towards the car and informed her dad that I would be staying with them.
I ended up staying the night on her parents’ couch and the day after she handed me the keys to the apartment above the restaurant she owned. There was no furniture, so we found a few cheap ones at thrift markets. Emma had surprised me further by offering me a job as a server, since she felt like fate had brought us together. I could live upstairs for cheap and save up for better furniture. It was only my first week on Sutiner and I was already offered a roof over my head and a job, I couldn’t have asked for a better start.
It was starting to feel like I was finally home.
Chapter 5
Wilston
Present day.
Emma’s call had left me in a weird mood. She was moving.
I’d known she was getting serious with her boyfriend Trent, but I hadn’t realized it would mean she’d one day leave town. Her tone had been laced with finality. She’d sold the restaurant and that included my apartment, too. I had no idea how long I could live there, or how long I had left with a paying job either.
Markus, our cook, had been silent, too, not knowing what to say about any of the changes. Emma had worked less than usual so weknew something was changing. I just wasn’t expecting changes like these.
This day sucked.
I finished taking orders from the newest tables and returned to the kitchen. Markus was busy grilling meat for the burgers and seemed lost in his own thoughts. I should go look for a new job after my shift, and then a new apartment. I’d saved up enough to pay for a one bedroom in town. There was just the matter of finding one that was available. Luckily, I didn’t have much stuff I needed to take with me, having lived comfortably with less ever since I’d moved into my home.
I exited the kitchen, ready to introduce myself to the new customers when I froze mid step. They were gazing around the restaurant, almost as if searching for something, but my eyes were locked firmly on the guy in the light pink hoodie.
He was gorgeous.
