Mirage (13 page)

He brushed the crumbs from his chest and stood up, knowing she was looking at his body again. He hadn’t put on a stitch of clothing since they’d locked themselves in the room.

“Are you coming in?” he asked as he pulled back the shower curtain and turned on the water.

“No. You go ahead.”

So he did. He soaped himself and started thinking about what he would do the next day, and then the day after that.

When Tor stepped out of the shower, he knew right away the room was empty. Julie’s clothes were gone. Her bag was gone. There was nothing at all of her left anywhere.

For a moment he just stood there, toweling his hair and thinking. Then he shrugged his shoulders and pulled on a pair of shorts.

If he’d stopped to examine his feelings, he probably would have admitted he was bothered by this little surprise. But he didn’t want to delve into his feelings. His feelings had never done him any favors, and he didn’t want to consult them now.

Instead, he pulled out his smartphone to check his email. Then he read the sports news until he fell into a heavy sleep.

It was almost midnight, but the streets of Damascus were surprisingly busy as Julie walked as quickly as she could, head down, avoiding the curious stares of men passing by. Twice a taxi slowed to creep alongside her, the driver inviting her in with his gestures. But she just shook her head. She wanted to walk. It would help order her thoughts and get rid of as many tears as she could before she got back to her hotel and woke her mother.

Running out on Tor without saying a word might have been a cowardly thing to do. But she couldn’t bear a prolonged goodbye in the morning. She knew she’d get too emotional. Especially after sleeping in each other’s arms through what was left of the night.

Yes, it’s better to get out while I can still think. If I spend even one more minute with that man, I’ll be so deeply in love that he’d have to pry me off him like an oyster from its shell.

Besides, leaving made her feel she had at least a little power in this thing that was far too much for her woman’s soft heart to handle. She knew it was better to make an exit at a high point. She didn’t want him to remember her as a weepy wretch.

Still sniffing, she let herself into her room, scaring the wits out of her mother. After explaining she had a headache and wanted to sleep in her own bed, Julie muffled her sobs until she heard Hannah’s soft breathing return to normal. Then she cried.

After a sleepless night, Julie washed the remnants of her lover from her aching body, packed her things and prepared to get on with the rest of her life. A life without Tor. She had a long day ahead of her. First, the bus ride to the Jordanian border, which could take anywhere from four to six hours. Then, there were the complications of passing out of Syria and into Jordan. There might be lineups—bureaucratic or otherwise. She’d already checked everyone’s visas, hoping like mad everything was in order so they wouldn’t be held up even longer. Last year had been a nightmare after one of the client’s visas was found to be mysteriously invalid. Julie never did find out why.

She forced herself to eat a breakfast she didn’t want. No one could predict where the next meal would be coming from, she reminded everyone. Services for travellers were undependable and distances were long. Last year their bus had broken down, she warned. And there would be no stops except maybe for a bathroom break between the Jordanian border and the capital city of Amman.

As she waited in the hotel lobby to make sure that all of their charges were packed, checked out, and ready to go, she couldn’t stop herself from watching the traffic on the street. She had this small hope that Tor would show up at her hotel in the morning to see her off. To kiss her goodbye.

Even as she’d walked home the night before she’d entertained the idea that once he got out of the shower and discovered she wasn’t there, he’d throw on his clothes and come running after her.

The fact he hadn’t made her sadder than she already was.

But by morning she was almost optimistic again, and she passed the time fantasizing that any minute now she would see him come roaring up to her hotel on his big bike.

But what would be the point?

She didn’t know what she wanted. She supposed her ego was bruised. When he had seemed less than enthused about sending her his photos, she’d been hurt.

Why can’t I just let it go? It was great.
He
was great. And I’m grateful for having met him.

The noise in the hotel lobby distracted her musings. Everyone was excited about this new leg of their journey. It was time to hit the road. Right on time, a hired minibus pulled up to the front door and Hannah went outside to meet the driver. Julie followed her, looking up one side of the road, then the other, and threw her suitcase into the cargo hold. No BMW to be seen. No surprise.

The journey to the border was as tedious and uncomfortable as Julie had predicted. The scenery was only slightly more interesting than the desert had been. Again, there was nowhere to stop for a meal. The border delays were long, but no longer than usual, and by early afternoon they were in Jordan and on their way to Amman.

Julie felt sad about leaving Syria. She liked it. The people were friendly and warm, the food was excellent, and the history was fascinating. She knew it would probably be a long time before she could ever return to the land where she fell in love with a Dane in the desert.

But right now she was in a different country. The sun was shining brightly in the blue sky, the breeze was soft, and the open road beckoned. Julie stared out at the horizon and began to muse.

I’m free, over twenty-one and I have a credit card in my pocket. Life could be worse.

She smiled and looked down at a copy of her group itinerary.

And this time, he knows where to find me…

To be continued…

Serena is proud to say she was born in Vancouver, Canada. She now lives about one hundred miles away from that beautiful city, on a beautiful island, in a house called “Ocean Glimpses.”

Serena holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in English, and has taught university-level courses in literature and composition for many years. She loves to travel and her goal is to write a story or novel set in every one of the foreign countries she’s ever visited. This should take the rest of her life, she figures.

She and her husband share life with Mr. Bates, a grey-striped tabby named after a favorite character on the series Downton Abbey.

If you have enjoyed
Mirage,
the first book in the
Tracking Tor
series, please watch for Book Two,
Oasis
and Book Three,
River
.