Souled [Editing]

Chapter 22

The road stretched endlessly in front of Meredith's car. Over the last few hours, the landscape had been nothing but rolling fields, the occasional small towns, and pit stops. A few cars dotted the roads, but it hadn't been too busy since she started driving around.

After she left Nate's apartment, she drove around Atlanta until she felt the familiar yearning in her chest. She still had a week before she began her new job and Atlanta didn't hold what she wanted it to. She packed up her clothes again and this time she brought Lily. Meredith hadn't been in the mood to give the run down on what happened to Ella if she were to ask Ella to cat-sit again, and she missed the feline too much to leave her behind again, so Meredith packed the cat and ran.

Her hands strangled the steering wheel as she drove. She tried to fight off the memories that were running through her mind. The asphalt was a screen for the memories of Nate's smiles. The way he held her in his arms that night. All the things they talked about in the field. The plans they had made. The way he looked at her even when he was pretending.

The road in front of her blurred. Tears threatened to fall again.

She wondered how she could be so stupid. Why did she think that this could work out? Even if a little watch told her that everything would be okay?

Had it all been pretend? He never mentioned Heather. She wondered if he would have ever mentioned Heather had she not shown her face.

Maybe that was the worst part. She'd never know. He didn't mention any girl back in Atlanta, even if everything was over. Nate just let Meredith fall for him and neither of them bothered to put up a net. Now she lay broken on the cold, hard ground. Meredith wasn't sure she'd find all the pieces again.

This was worse than what happened when she was still dating Bobby. Meredith wondered how bad her luck could be to have this happen twice. There was only so much a person could take.

No matter how hard she tried, the memories kept coming at her. It was high tide and she was stuck too close to the shore line.

"I've really enjoyed having you here. With me." Nate looked at her with his piercing blue eyes. "It's made this weekend better than I could have imagined."

Meredith squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds. She wanted the memory out. It was too soon to start reminiscing on the good times. All she wanted was to hold it together until she made it to her destination.

Meredith eased to a stop that night in front of a house that was the only place she wanted to be right now. The lights were on in the living room. Her father was probably watching television before going to bed.

As she continued to stare at the house, her eyes began to sting again. Only this time, it was a different type of pain than what she had been experiencing since that morning. She attempted to swallow her pain and got out of the car.

Meredith felt a strong sense of regret before she knocked on the door. The door opened slowly and when John saw Meredith he looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Hey, Dad." Her voice was hoarse and she felt like her eyes were puffy from alternating between crying and fighting back tears for hours.

He didn't say anything, but his eyes grew wide and his eyebrows knitted together.

"I'm sorry I didn't call. It's just—" she pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed. "This morning things...I needed to be home is all. It was spur of the moment which is why I didn't call."

Truth be told, Meredith didn't consider calling her father. Not once. At least for a heads up. Instead, she just drove to Oklahoma. She was rarely propelled as violently as she was unless it was provoked by intense emotions. She had done something similar not long after her mother died.