Wrong Decision

As I settled into my seat, excitement and nervousness tangled together in my stomach. I'd never been on a plane before, and the thought of flying thousands of feet above the ground was both thrilling and terrifying.

The engines roared to life, making my heart pound even harder. As the plane began speeding down the runway, I gripped the armrest a little tighter.

Then, suddenly, we lifted off.

I stared out the window in amazement as the ground grew farther away. Buildings, roads, and trees slowly shrank until they looked like tiny dots scattered across the earth. Before long, the plane was gliding through clouds that looked soft enough to touch, with nothing but endless blue sky stretching ahead.

A grin spread across my face before I could stop it.

I was really doing this.

After years of dreaming about it, I was finally on my way to Chicago.

It still didn't feel real.

To make sure I wasn't imagining things, I pinched my wrist.

Yep.

Definitely real.

In just a few hours, I'd be standing in a city I'd only ever seen in movies and books, starting a completely new chapter of my life.

…

The moment the plane touched down, a wave of excitement and relief washed over me. I grabbed my bag and followed the crowd into the terminal.

The airport was alive with noise. Announcements echoed through the speakers, people hurried past while talking over one another, and the smell of coffee and freshly baked pretzels lingered in the air.

For a moment, I just stood there, taking it all in.

Then reality hit.

The crowd.

The noise.

The unfamiliar faces.

It was overwhelming.

I tightened my grip on my backpack as anxiety crept into my chest. Every announcement made me flinch, and the endless stream of strangers blurred together until I couldn't focus on anyone.

I felt small and completely out of place, like I'd been dropped into the middle of a storm without a map.

I was alone.

No family. No friends. No familiar face waiting for me.

The thought made my stomach twist.

No one to turn to.

No one to call my own.

But after a moment, another thought followed.

Isn't that also a good thing?

No one was watching me.

No one cared what I looked like.

No one was judging me.

At least... probably not.

My gaze drifted toward a group of girls laughing together nearby.

For a second, I wondered if they were laughing at me.

Then I immediately shut the thought down.

Let's be real. They probably weren't.

I glanced at my reflection in a glass door and took in my appearance.

My skin looked pale from the long flight, and my black jumper hung loosely over my frame. My hair was pulled into a messy bun that had clearly given up halfway through the journey.

Honestly?

I looked a little disheveled.

But not in a completely hopeless way.

More like a hot mess.

A stylish beggar.

The kind of person who looked like she'd rolled out of bed, accidentally ended up at an airport, and somehow made it work.

I straightened my shoulders and grinned at my reflection.

Yeah.

I could definitely pull off the homeless-chic look.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.

Come on, you've got this. You're doing great.

I repeated the words silently, hoping they would quiet the nervous thoughts running through my head.

Looking around the crowded airport, I found a small empty spot on a bench between two strangers and sat down. My right leg kept bouncing uncontrollably, and I caught myself scratching my hands again, a nervous habit I'd never been able to get rid of.

After a few minutes, I let out a sigh and decided I needed a moment alone.

I got up from the bench and approached a nearby security guard.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where the restroom is?" I asked.

She smiled politely and pointed down the hallway.

"Just over there on your left."

"Thank you."

I headed in that direction.

The moment I stepped into the restroom, I felt a little better. It was quieter, away from the constant noise of the airport.

I walked to the sink and splashed cold water on my face, hoping it would calm my nerves. As I dried my hands, I noticed faint scratch marks on them.

I must have done it without realizing it.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket, making me jump slightly.

My eyes widened.

Oh no.

I'd completely forgotten to tell Ella that I'd landed.

I quickly pulled out my phone and called her. She answered after a couple of rings.

"Riley! I'm so sorry!" she blurted out immediately. "I completely forgot to pick you up. I'm coming right now!"

She sounded like a child who'd just been caught doing something wrong.

Despite being slightly annoyed, I let out a small laugh.

"It's okay. I forgot to call you too. How long will it take?"

There was a brief pause.

"It'll not take long," she said, sounding much more determined.

In the background, I heard what sounded suspiciously like a car speeding out of a parking lot.

"Ella, please drive saf..."

"See you soon!"

She interrupted me before hanging up.

I stared at my phone for a moment before slipping it back into my pocket with a sigh.

The excitement of starting this new chapter of my life was slowly being replaced by frustration.

I was really looking forward to being picked up right away, and waiting had never been one of my strengths. Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a choice.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the restroom, still slightly irritated about having to wait for Ella.

That's when I heard a faint thud behind me.

I turned around and saw an older man, probably in his sixties or seventies, collapsed on the floor.

A soft groan escaped him, his face twisted with pain.

What surprised me most was that almost nobody seemed to notice.

People hurried past with their luggage, conversations, and phones, carrying on as if nothing had happened.

Without thinking twice, I rushed over.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I helped him sit up.

His hand was bleeding, bright red against his pale skin, but he didn't answer. Instead, he simply stared at the wound as if he couldn't quite believe it belonged to him.

A helpless feeling settled in my chest.

"Do you need water? Are you hurt anywhere else?"

The questions spilled out one after another, fueled by pure nervousness.

Still nothing.

Since I had nothing else to use, I quickly untied my scarf and wrapped it around his injured hand to slow the bleeding.

Only then did he finally look up at me.

And I froze.

The moment our eyes met, everything around us seemed to fade away.

The airport announcements, the rolling suitcases, the endless chatter of strangers. Every sound disappeared into the background.

His eyes were a striking gray-blue, so vivid they almost seemed unreal.

For a second, I forgot about his bleeding hand.

Forgot about the airport.

Forgot about everything.

All I could do was stare.

He said something. I could see his lips moving, but I didn't hear a single word.

My attention was completely trapped by his eyes.

Up close, they didn't match his age at all. They were gentle, yet filled with a quiet sadness that seemed far older than him.

There was something strange about them.

I couldn't explain it, but they pulled me in effortlessly.

For a moment, it felt like I wasn't looking at him, but straight into his soul.

The feeling was overwhelming, beautiful, and impossible to look away from.

I forgot how to breathe.

Then, without warning, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

The sudden movement snapped me out of whatever trance I'd fallen into. One second, I was lost in those gray-blue eyes, and the next, I was standing in the middle of a noisy airport again.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" a sharp voice barked. "What the hell did you do to him?"

I blinked in surprise and turned toward the speaker.

A tall man dressed in dark clothing stood beside us, staring at me with obvious anger. His voice was firm and commanding enough that I probably should have been intimidated.

Honestly, if I hadn't still been distracted by the old man's eyes, I might have been.

My thoughts were still a mess, and for a moment, I couldn't find my voice. Even so, I managed to glare back at him, refusing to back down under his intense stare.

The old man suddenly spoke.

"Don't scare the young lady. I tripped and fell, and she helped me. If anything, this is your fault for leaving me behind."

His voice was gentle and kind, but there was enough firmness in it to make the tall man immediately look embarrassed.

The anger vanished from his face, replaced by guilt and regret.

I looked back at the old man, only to realize his eyes were hidden behind lowered lids now.

For a moment, I wondered if I'd imagined everything.

The intensity from earlier felt so distant that it almost seemed like it had happened to someone else.

Shaking off the strange feeling, I focused on his injury again.

"Sir, are you alright?" I asked, genuine concern slipping into my voice.

As I spoke, I found myself trying to look into his eyes again.

Somehow, I had the odd feeling that he knew exactly what I was doing.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, so brief that I couldn't tell whether it was real or just my imagination.

A shiver ran down my spine.

Why was I thinking so much about a complete stranger?

And not just any stranger. Someone old enough to be my grandfather.

My thoughts came to an abrupt stop when he looked at me again.

For a second, I felt that same pull from before, as if those gray-blue eyes were trying to draw me in.

This time, though, I forced myself to look away and focus on the rest of his face.

Deep wrinkles lined his skin, clear signs of age and experience. Yet the contrast between his weathered appearance and those unusually youthful eyes was impossible to ignore.

At first glance, he looked like an elderly man who needed help after a fall.

But when he met my gaze, it felt like there was something much younger hidden beneath the years.

Something wise.

Calm.

Impossible to fully understand.

His eyes carried a depth that made it easy to forget the wrinkles altogether.

The old man smiled warmly.

"I am too old now. These weary bones no longer have the strength to carry all my belongings. Danke."

I laughed awkwardly.

I think he meant thank you. I only spoke English.

"It's okay, Mr...?" I prompted.

"Ah, my name is Eryx," he replied. "Thank you for your kindness, young lady. And I apologize for the inconvenience."

His voice was warm and rich, carrying a faint accent that I couldn't quite place.

"It's no big deal," I said, glancing at his injured hand, which was now securely wrapped in my scarf.

Then my attention shifted to his intimidating bodyguard, who had been watching me suspiciously the entire time, as if I were either an alien from Mars or a threat to his job.

I ignored the look.

The old man followed my gaze and chuckled.

"That's Richard, my bodyguard. Don't judge a book by its cover, my dear. He's just like a coconut. Tough on the outside, soft on the inside. Am I right, Richard?"

His eyes sparkled with amusement.

I laughed.

"Oh, trust me, I won't."

The situation was honestly pretty funny.

Richard, also known as Coco the Nut in my head, looked slightly embarrassed. He was clearly blushing, though he stubbornly kept the same stern expression on his face.

"Sir," he said, clearing his throat, "the car is ready. We need to leave now."

With a warm smile, Eryx turned back to me.

"Well, dear, it's time for me to go."

Then something changed.

His voice dropped into a deep baritone.

A chill ran down my spine.

"We'll meet again soon, Riley."

I froze.

The words felt strangely heavy, carrying an intensity that made my stomach twist.

How did he know my name?

Before I could even process the question, both Eryx and Richard suddenly dissolved into smoke and vanished.

Gone.

My eyes widened in shock.

I immediately ran toward the fading smoke, looking around frantically, searching left and right for any sign of them.

But all I received were confused and suspicious looks from the people passing through the airport.

Breathing hard, I eventually returned to the same bench where Eryx had been sitting.

I dropped onto it, my heart pounding.

With trembling hands, I unscrewed the cap of my water bottle and took several large gulps, trying to calm myself down.

Then I sat there, staring into space, wondering whether any of it had actually happened.

Had it been real?

Or had I imagined the entire thing?

The worst part was that nobody around me seemed shocked or confused.

No one reacted as if two people had just vanished into thin air.

It was as though the encounter had never happened at all.

And I wasn't brave enough to ask anyone if they'd seen it too.

Some time later, I was still thinking about the strange encounter, replaying Eryx's words over and over in my head, when someone suddenly shouted my name from across the airport.

"RILEYYY!"

I looked up and saw Ella weaving through the crowd toward me.

"Thank God you're alive!" she yelled. "Why weren't you answering your phone? I've been trying to call you forever!"

She finally reached me, looking like she'd just run a marathon.

The moment she stopped, she bent over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

"Ahh... wait. Give me a second."

Her chest rose and fell dramatically with every breath.

A moment later, she dropped onto the bench beside me, still panting as if she'd sprinted across the entire airport.

"Here," I said, holding out my spare bottle, the one I hadn't used. "Drink some water."

Instead of taking it, she grabbed my wrist.

Her eyes immediately landed on the bruise there.

"What happened to your hand? Where did that bruise come from? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who it was so I can go yell at them!"

The questions came out so fast that I barely had time to process them.

I let out a nervous laugh and gently pulled my hand back.

"Nothing. It was just itching, and I scratched it too hard," I said casually. "Probably dry skin or something."

Ella raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced, but thankfully she didn't press the issue.

I couldn't really blame her. We had only just met, and I wasn't exactly ready to start unloading all my problems onto her.

Finally, she took the bottle from me and drank a large gulp of water.

Then she made an exaggerated face, pressing her tongue against the roof of her mouth.

"Ahhh."

She sighed dramatically before grinning.

"Refreshing."

Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and despite everything that had happened, I found myself smiling a little.

"So, when did you get here?" I asked as I sat down beside her.

"About fifteen minutes ago," Ella replied. "And I've been trying to call you the entire time. I was starting to think you'd ghosted me."

There was a playful hint of frustration in her voice.

A small wave of guilt hit me. I had been so lost in my own thoughts that I'd made her worry. Then the image of the old man and his bodyguard disappearing into thin air flashed through my mind.

I needed to calm down.

It was probably just stress.

Or a hallucination.

I pulled out my phone and checked it.

There was only one missed call.

"Ella, wow. So many missed calls," I said dramatically. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I ignored all... one of them."

She laughed before giving me a sheepish smile.

"Sorry. My phone died while I was trying to reach you."

Then she pointed at me accusingly.

"Wait a minute. Was this revenge? You made me search for you because I made you wait, didn't you?"

Her eyes sparkled with amusement.

I laughed.

"Yep. That was exactly my plan."

Ella immediately gasped and pressed both hands over her heart as if I'd deeply wounded her.

"How cruel!"

I couldn't stop myself from chuckling.

Ella stood up and held out her hand to me.

For a second, I hesitated.

I wasn't used to physical affection, or skinship, as some people called it. But I pushed those thoughts aside.

I wanted to get along with her, and more importantly, I didn't want to spend all my time alone with my own thoughts in a new country.

So I took her hand.

She pulled me to my feet with an easy smile, warmth shining in her eyes.

As I looked at her, a thought crossed my mind.

Maybe this girl will be different.

Maybe she won't end up like everyone else.

The thought made me chuckle quietly.

Without thinking much about it, I hooked my arm through hers.

Ella looked up at me with a bright smile.

"So, where to now, ma'am?"

I giggled.

"How about we go home?"

The word home made butterflies flutter in my stomach.

She immediately straightened up and answered in an overly dramatic deep voice.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

I laughed.

There was something about her silly personality that made it easy to relax around her.

As we walked through the airport, we heard announcements and rolling suitcases all around us.

We passed shops and cafés before reaching the exit.

Outside, warm sunlight and the distant roar of planes followed us as Ella and I headed toward our new home.

Butterflies flutter in my stomach.

She immediately straightened up and answered in an overly dramatic deep voice.

"Aye aye, Captain!"

I laughed.

There was something about her silly personality that made it easy to relax around her.

As we walked through the airport, we heard announcements and rolling suitcases all around us.

We passed shops and cafés before reaching the exit.

Outside, warm sunlight and the distant roar of planes followed us as Ella and I headed toward our new home.

                  ☾ ❦ ☾