The wedding part 28

Her first destination was Tallinn, in Estonia. She would stay there a couple of days and then she would fly to Riga, Latvia, as these were very safe destinations for single female travelers. In her plans, she noted down to fly also to Vilnius if she felt like extending her vacation. She had taken a couple of days off and she would also work from abroad if she wanted to continue travelling. Her job was anyways flexible. 

She was a translator for different languages: English, Italian, Bulgarian and Russian. She was now working on her Spanish and she was studying it on her own time. She thought that the break from Leo would help her move on with her language skills. And that's how she was spending her days till she flew to Tallinn.

She arrived and felt like she left some heavy load behind her. She was no longer home. She checked her phone out of habit. She was expecting a message or a call, but it seemed like Leo would respect her wishes. 

The same night she went out in a local bar. She mingled with the locals and enjoyed local food and drinks. The next day she went sightseeing around and took few pictures. Her mind was stuck on Leo, but she needed this time alone. She kept visiting the same bar and made some new friends. Amongst them was also a guy from England, named Philip. There was some discreet flirt but she wasn't ready to commit to anything, especially a long term relationship. Therefore nothing happened between them at her own accord. 

The days moved on, she went to Riga and had similar fun there. She was going from mall to mall as it was very cold outside. In fact, it was snowing to both countries she visited so far. Her mind was finally free and her gaze would get amiss in the white scenery. She visited lots of cafes where she worked from on a new translation for her job. Work was gong excellent lately and was very satisfied. Traveling also helped her escape from her routine. The days went by.

She was eventually extending her stay, so she was packing when her phone rang. It had been a whole month since she had left. But the message was not from Leo...

Instead the message came from William actually. "Still dating this asshole?", asked bluntly. She ignored it. But the damage was done. She spent the next hours ruminating about Leo and if he indeed was an asshole. She had no apparent answer. 

Her flight was pleasant, she managed to finish the recent job she had taken and arrived tired at the hotel. She had no mood of going out, so she dined in a nearby restaurant. She was playing with her phone when she accidentally popped open the same message. She was now tipsy, well fed and tempted to respond.

She did. "We have actually split for a while. I am traveling at the moment". She replied honestly. That's where she ended up in her mind. That they had split up. She needed this breath of oxygen in her lungs. The reply came instantly: "where are you now?". "In Vilnius". He messaged back: "Are you having a good time?", he turned polite. "I have been to a couple of countries, met a bunch of awesome people and in short I am having a blast!", she was enthusiastic and cheerful. "Do you miss him?", he asked. Not knowing his intentions, she paused for a moment. 

-Do I? she thought out loud. 

She missed home. But her mind was also wandering around Leo many times. She called him immediately. 

- Jessica?! he exclaimed oddly. 

- Yes, hi Leo. How are you doing ? she replied with a typical question. 

- I am pleasantly surprised that you called.

- Yes, I wanted to know if I miss you, she explained.

-Oh, he paused. So? Do you miss me? he asked hesitantly. 

"What am I doing?" she thought. 

- Well, I do, that' s why I called you. 

- Oh, he exhaled out loudly. 

- Yeah, look, I know this is odd, but...

- But... ?

- Yeah let's say something happened that made me think a lot. 

- What? Are you alright?

- Yes, I do not mean physically... Thankfully, it's nothing like that. 

- Then what is it?

- Well, there is someone... she hesitated. Someone you know...

- Oh Christ, Jessica, why all these riddles. Stop playing me. 

- William is back! she blurted out panicked.