1.2 | Highway of Lights ✓

04 | endless

04
e n d l e s s

I PULL MY gaze away from his wrist almost immediately, my head starts throbbing. I don't know what happened to him, the scar might just be a birthmark or he got that by accident.

I should just mind my own business.

"Noah?" Before I notice, his name already slips out of my mouth.

"Yeah?"

Why exactly does Noah travel in the first place?  I've met so many people throughout my trip, but I've never seen anyone like him--he has a certain charisma. Perhaps it's his sense of humor, it's his get-up-and-go attitude. All I know is that I want to learn more about him.

I think of his scar again. "Do you think that travelling is actually an act of escapism?"

He taps the steering wheel with his finger. "Why'd you ask that?"

"I feel like people travel because they want to escape from reality, from everything weird, basically," I reply.

"Let's put it this way, did you travel because you wanted to escape?" he asks.

I pause, because I really don't know. For some moments it feels like I am escaping, but most of the time I'm just confused. But there's one thing for sure—I travel for my own good.

"I'm not sure," I finally say.

"You know, I don't think we're escaping."

I look at Noah, curious about his answer. He continues, "I think we're trying to discover new things and bring them back to our old lives. We're hunting for the things that are missing."

Then what caused the scar? I almost ask.

I look at the highway in front of me, it stretches so far that I can't see the end. It's endless, but there's no endless journey in life. There will always be a destination, though I wonder if my life will ever have one.

»»————-　➴　————-««

When my eyes open again, I find my head leaning against the hard window next to me. I sit upright and press my palms against my eyes, attempting to rub the sleep away. I finally register what has happened when I see Noah turning his head away from me, wearing a smirk while focusing on the road again.

I've fallen asleep.

"How long have I been sleeping?" I mumble, a wave of nausea suddenly engulfs me.

"An hour or so," he says.

"Guess my coffee didn't work." I stretch my neck.

As if something has grasped my head and spun it, I feel a tingling sensation slowly corroding into my skull. I quickly chug my bottle of water. This shouldn't have happened--I've been travelling forever, and motion sickness is a huge taboo for travellers.

It's not long after when I feel my stomach lurching.

"Noah?" I manage to croak out. "Can we maybe pull over real quick?"

He snaps his head toward me and scowls.

"Are you okay?" he asks as he turns his steering wheel and stops the car at the shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's just-- I just need some time--" I clutch my empty water bottle in agony.

Before I can finish my sentence, I feel a touch on my forehead. I watch as Noah takes back his arm and touches his own forehead with his backhand, comparing our heat. He lets out a breath.