Vanished (ONC 2023)

Chapter 4 - Dustin

It took three days to run into the bus stranger again. He wore the same down-filled, black jacket, same boots and gray toque fitted to his head, letting a few blond strands escape. He smiled as he looked at me, which dimpled his cheeks, and I sat beside him. His leaner form left a bit of space separating us.

I wanted to sort out this missing person situation, but I couldn't outright ask him, or he'd spook and disappear. "Avoiding me?" I teased with a smile meant to encourage him.

His unwavering gaze convinced me I had. "Quite the contrary. I hoped to see you yesterday, but our schedules didn't align."

Interesting. Was he not aware of the article, or had I mistaken him for a doppelgänger? Perhaps he had a twin brother, but wouldn't he seem more worried in that case?

"Did you fight another tree and take the late bus?" I asked.

He chortled and looked at his jeans. "I'm not as dramatic and fantastic as you are. Looks like the battle scar is healing up nicely."

"No glory without pain, right?"

He flashed his teeth and met my gaze. "Absolutely."

"So you never mentioned what you did for a living," I said casually.

His chest puffed out the slightest bit as he replied, "I work in architecture."

I tensed and hoped my long coat covered my body's betrayal. One commonality was a coincidence. My dad and his two brothers all went into different branches of engineering. If he had a brother, perhaps they had similar careers.

"Fancy, and here I am constructing Instagram ads and blog posts. Design anything I've seen?" His name might pop up on an online search to confirm his identity subtly. That would be the safest.

He ran his hand over his bare knuckles, one of which had a scrape. "I don't have enough seniority to be noteworthy."

"Regardless, it sounds like a cool job."

His smile seemed strained. His work was as pleasant a topic for him as it was for me.

"You never told me your name," I said.

His eyes darted around the bus as they had when we first spoke. Like before, everyone else lived in their own worlds or pushed through the crowd toward the back exit doors. Only an older woman looked at us. The architect's stall wasn't a good sign.

The traitorous train station came up, but I didn't pull the cord. I'd boarded my regularly scheduled bus, and my only task was to find a new and quickly executable campaign idea. The anticipation about the man would distract me all day if I didn't hear his answer. If anything, showing up late would boost my productivity.

The man stared out the window as we stopped in front of the long limestone station. "You're going to miss your stop."

"I'll walk the difference."

He studied me, staring into my eyes. "You want to know that badly?"

"Yeah."

His grin lit up his entire face, which brought him from cute to borderline gorgeous. Perhaps I should join one of those dating apps to get this stranger creeping out of my system. This couldn't be healthy, right? Or was it a pleasant coincidence that in our digital and isolating world, I'd met someone interesting, albeit a touch suspicious, in person?

"It's Dustin."

Despite his upbeat tone, my heart thudded differently than seconds ago.

Don't freeze, smile, and act interested like you do at work for your boss' half-baked ideas.