Running Away From Him
"Where the hell are they both?" Ken exclaimed in frustration.
Taylor recalled, "I left Anna sitting on this bench." Wennes and Taylor stood there, feeling helpless, with no clue about the whereabouts of Anna and Porsche.
"Did she attend the call?" Wennes inquired. Taylor shook his head and replied, "No."
Annoyed, Ken added, "Not even attending the call, so irresponsible." He glanced at the time and added, "We have only 15 minutes left."
Anna asked anxiously, "How much time will it take?" Porsche responded, "It's hard to get a taxi from here, I guess. Either we'll have to walk down from here, which will take about an hour and a half, or we'll have to get the chairlift back."
As he was speaking, he noticed a cab and signaled it. Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Porsche informed the driver that they needed to go to the first station. The driver nodded, and they both got into the cab.
Ken exclaimed, "What about you, Porsche, huh?" He added, "Where were you? Stop acting like a naive boy. You are no longer that old young Porsche who needs to be taken care of all the time."
Ken then angrily left the place and proceeded towards the bus depot. Wennes, a bit worried about the situation, added, "Um, just ignore him, Porsche. I guess he was a bit worried."
Porsche seemed unaffected by Ken's words. Taylor then asked Anna, "Where were you?" Anna nervously replied, "I-I-I went for a walk because of boredom. Yeah."
Taylor further inquired, "Were you and Porsche together?" As Anna nervously stood not knowing how to answer, Wennes intervened, saying, "Okay, guys, let's go to our bus before we get late."
The atmosphere inside the bus was undeniably awkward.
Three pairs of friends sat in their designated seats, an uncomfortable silence prevailing.
Wennes found herself beside Anna, Taylor kept Ken company, and Porsche, separated from his usual company, sat next to a random boy from their group.
Tension hung in the air like a heavy fog, making the bus ride an uncomfortable experience for all.
Wennes, feeling the need to break the silence, leaned in close to Anna and whispered, "Ken and Porsche, they're like lifelong buddies.
Ken's three years older than Porsche, so he's always been the protector." Anna, still processing the situation, nodded in understanding.
"We tried calling Porsche for twenty minutes straight, but he didn't answer.
His phone might be dead, or he put it on silent, or who knows," Wennes confided in hushed tones, sharing a piece of the puzzle. Anna, curiosity piqued, couldn't help but ask, "But why did Ken act so aggressively?"
A faint smile graced Wennes' lips as she embarked on an explanation, "You see, Ken is always worried about Porsche, especially because of his health.
He faints sometimes, even though he's getting better. That's why Ken is so protective." Anna absorbed this insight, realizing the depth of Ken's concern for his friend.
As their conversation continued, Wennes couldn't resist delving deeper, gently inquiring, "Were you and Porsche together?" Anna, a touch of nervousness in her eyes, met Wennes' gaze and replied, "Well, yes, he insisted on us riding the chairlift together."
Wennes let out a sigh, her concern for Porsche growing, "Oh dear, this guy is really pushing the boundaries."
"..........."
"He wants me to suffer when I'm already suffering. He hates me," Anna said, her voice tinged with a raw, palpable emotion that Wennes couldn't ignore.
With a gentle touch, Wennes reached out, her fingers delicately adjusting the stray strands of Anna's hair, a silent gesture of understanding and comfort.
But Wennes knew there was more to the story, a hidden narrative that Anna couldn't bring herself to reveal.
As Anna continued to stare out, lost in the rhythm of the passing landscape, Wennes mustered the courage to voice her convictions.
"He doesn't hate you, Anna. You're mistaken," Wennes interjected softly, her voice laced with empathy. "He still cares, but he doesn't know the truth.
He's acting out of a misunderstanding, a desperate need for answers. He wants you to explain why you left him."
Anna remained silent, her eyes fixated on a distant point. Wennes, undeterred, reached for Anna's hand, her touch a reassuring anchor in the storm of emotions.
"You're unique, Anna. You exude warmth despite your struggles. But you hide your pain so well that others believe it was they who were hurt," Wennes continued, her voice filled with unwavering conviction.
As the words lingered in the air, Anna's gaze shifted momentarily to the figure of Porsche, who was lost in his own thoughts by the window.
Wennes pressed on, her words a gentle plea laced with understanding. "You don't have to conceal your suffering from those who care," she urged softly, her eyes brimming with unspoken empathy.
Anna's voice, barely above a whisper, broke the silence. "I've tried, but I'm afraid," she confessed, her words fraught with an underlying fear.
"His health... I don't want him to bear the burden of guilt. Each day it gets harder to share the weight of my trauma, the suffering that still clings to me."
Wennes listened, her heart heavy with the weight of Anna's unspoken pain, understanding the depths of her struggle, the fear that overshadowed every attempt at revelation.
The bus came to a halt, its engines letting out a tired sigh, as the group finally arrived back at the hotel.
Porsche, his demeanor still unsettled, was the first to disembark, a sense of urgency driving him out into the open.
Wennes, her worry palpable, made a move to follow him, but Ken's firm hand on her shoulder halted her in her tracks.
"Let him have some space," Ken advised, his voice laced with a tinge of concern that mirrored Wennes's own.
Reluctantly, Wennes watched as Porsche disappeared into the hotel, her mind restless with worry.
The rest of the group eventually filtered out of the bus, their footsteps heavy with the weight of unspoken tensions and unaddressed concerns.
As Taylor and Anna made their way towards their room, Wennes halted Taylor with a sudden request. "Could you spare me five minutes?" she asked, her voice tinged with urgency.
Taylor nodded in understanding, allowing Wennes to lead the way to her room, leaving Anna and Ken to stand in the quiet solitude of the hotel's lounge.
Feeling the weight of the silence press down on her, Anna made a hesitant attempt to bridge the gap, to offer a semblance of understanding. "Ken, I know how much you care about Porsche, but..." Her words faltered as Ken cut her off abruptly, his tone laced with an unexpected arrogance.
"Unlike you," he interjected sharply before turning away and leaving Anna standing there, stunned and speechless, the weight of his words lingering in the air like an unspoken accusation.
"........."
"This is totally unacceptable," Taylor exclaimed firmly, declining to accept a large jar, intricately hand-painted with delicate strokes and vibrant colors. Wennes, not ready to take no for an answer, persisted, "Taylor, you're lucky you don't have to pay $20 for this. I poured my heart into this painting, and it truly hurts to see you refusing it."
Taylor's resistance softened as he gazed at the beautifully adorned jar, an expression of wonder crossing his face. "Oh wow, you're quite the artist," he remarked, clearly taken aback by the intricate craftsmanship.
"Thank you so much, but why are you giving it to me?" he inquired, puzzled by the unexpected gesture.
Wennes smiled warmly, her eyes gleaming with a sense of contentment. "Consider it a token of appreciation for the day you graciously carried my bags," she replied, a hint of gratitude evident in her voice.
Taylor's smile widened, a sense of pride evident in his demeanor as he nodded in understanding. "That's just what a man should do, you know," he remarked, acknowledging the unspoken code of chivalry. "Anyway, thank you. Goodbye for now," he added, waving at Wennes before making his exit.
Wennes watched him leave, her gaze following his figure until it disappeared around the corner, her eyes shining with a sense of joy and contentment.
In that moment, the exchange of a simple gift encapsulated the essence of gratitude and mutual respect, an unspoken bond woven between friends, each gesture a testament to the depth of their camaraderie.
As Taylor returned to the lounge, a sense of unease settled within him. Anna's absence didn't go unnoticed, and a slight pang of discomfort gnawed at his thoughts.
"She didn't even say goodbye," he murmured to himself, the realization lingering like a faint echo in the quiet surroundings.
As Taylor reentered the hotel lounge, he couldn't help but notice Anna's absence.
A sense of unease settled within him as he realized she hadn't bid him farewell. "She didn't say goodbye to me," he muttered to himself, a tinge of concern coloring his thoughts.
Meanwhile, Anna stood alone on the balcony of her room, her mind consumed by the events of the day, the sharp, painful words spoken by Porsche still echoing within her.
Her delicate hands ran through her dark ebony hair, a gesture of agitation and distress as she grappled with the weight of his hurtful words.
"Why can't he leave me alone? Why?" Anna whispered, her voice barely audible against the soft evening breeze. There was a certain intensity in her demeanor, a fierce determination simmering beneath the surface.
A fleeting moment of laughter escaped her lips, but there was no joy in it, only a brittle edge of resolve. "I'll go as far away as I can from you, leaving no trace of me," she vowed to herself, her words carrying a hint of desperation and defiance.
Tears welled up in her eyes, a stark contrast to the laughter that escaped her in a moment of distress. "I'll make you hate me so much," she declared, her voice tinged with a mix of anguish and determination, the weight of her emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
With a heavy heart, she stepped back into her room, her movements marked by a resolute determination as she began packing her belongings. The air hung heavy with the weight of unspoken sorrows, a silent testament to the tumultuous emotions that enveloped her, leaving her to grapple with the complexities of her own heart.