To say that boy ran out of there faster than a cheetah would false saying because he seemed even faster than that.
I couldn't help myself but tore after him, dropping my purse in the process.
"Teagan!" Brenton called after me, but I couldn't focus on him. My every waking thought in that moment revolved around Jonah and catching him.
He dashed through the crowds of people that were walking through the hospital. While he did some kind of maneuvering, I wasn't quite as graceful and bumped into a lot of aggravated people. I threw out some apologizes and continued on my pursuit.
We finally made it outside, the busy city streets even more crowded than inside the hospital. Luckily, Jonah got stuck behind a group of elderly ladies and I was able to gain some distance towards him. It slowed him down just enough that the moment he stepped onto the grass of a park, I toppled into him, knocking both of us to the ground.
His arms wrapped instinctively around me, making him take the brute of the fall while I landed on top of him with a groan. It only took me a split second to get over my initial surprise to realize the predicament I was in.
Being this close to Jonah, I was finally able to completely take in his appearance. His eyes were this pale, green color, something I hadn't seen before. His olive complexion had a few freckles and a little scar was situated across the right of his forehead, just barely being covered by some shaggy dark hair. His nose was slightly crooked and his lips, slightly parted--
"Why is it that you're always falling?" He breathed out with an accent lacing his words. However, even in my dazed state, I could sense the tinge of annoyance.
I felt myself turning red as I got up, brushing myself off. I half expected him to run away again, but instead, he looked me up and down almost as if he were studying me.
"I wouldn't have fallen this time if you hadn't ran away from me," I pointed out.
His face darkened as he stared at me. "I would have thought the message got across the first time we came across each other."
"What message?"
"That I don't want anything to do with you."
His words hit me deep inside, leaving me so stunned that I couldn't even move as he walked away from me. Luckily, I had inherited a temper from my mother and ran forward, grabbing his shoulder and spun him around.
"Don't want anything to do with me?" I questioned. "That's not how it works. We're Matched--"
His hand quickly covered my mouth. "Do you have to be so loud?"
I shook myself out of his graph. "Why? It's true! People can just tell if you're around the one you're Matched with."
Jonah pursed his lips, not saying anything. Why was he so opposed to having a Match? I paused my thoughts, thinking something else. What if it wasn't so much that he didn't want a Match, but didn't want me as his?
"Trust me..." Jonah continued on. "You don't want this. Just live your own life and forget about me."
That's way easier said than done. He turned to leave once more and my hand instinctively flew out. This time, he grabbed it and gave me an exasperated look. The action seemed to surprise us both, heat radiating out from where he touched me. I looked down and the hem of his long sleeved shirt inched up the slightest bit, showing my first name in the grayed out writing.
That right there was supposed to mean everything to us. The whole act, searching for your Match, the first contact, and everything else in between was meant to be a huge moment for him and I. Instead, he was ruining it with this crazy 'I don't want anything to do with you' business.
I was about to say something to him about that when I noticed he was staring intently at something over my shoulder. Being dumb, I instinctually turned around but didn't see anything amiss. After that, as quick as he grabbed me, he let go, almost immediately feeling the sense of loss from the lack of his touch.
He looked as if he was going to say something before shaking his head and walking away, running his hands through his hair as if he was bothered by something.
I didn't chase him this time. Instead, I made a very sad walk back to the hospital that was now a few blocks away. I should've been proud that I ran that far, counting that as my cardio of the day, but instead I felt defeated, sad, and very confused about the whole situation.
Brenton had to go back to work so I picked up my stuff from the receptionist and made the long trek back home. I couldn't help but feeling a sense of loneliness as I walked into my empty apartment. My best friend still had a few more hours of work so until then, I was most definitely alone.
Maybe I should get a pet?
I almost grimaced. My Match rejected me and saying that means I'm one step away from becoming a lonely cat lady.
I found myself doing something I had hadn't done in years. I pulled out my phone, dialing the number from muscle memory, and waited as it went to voicemail.
"Mom..." I started, feeling awkward and already regretting my decision. "I, uh... I met my Match. Give me a call back... Bye."
I hadn't seen or talked to my family for two years. The reason was simple: My mom was high up in society due to my father's job as a wealthy businessman. When I hadn't found my Match after the gap year of searching, I was all but secluded from my family. My siblings found theirs easily, each having their own children now. But I was the outcast and my mom didn't think that would be best for their image.
So I was here, living on my own, halfway across the nation. I didn't make any move to see or talk to them and they did the same.
I always searched for affirmation though and that phone call just dug that message home. In the beginning, I would call and leave voicemails all the time but would never get a response back. This time, I knew she would respond as soon as she heard my message.
I didn't expect a response until morning considering that they were in a different time zone and it was already starting to get late over here. This now left me with a regretful voicemail, a runaway Match, and absolutely nothing to do but bask in my self-pity. Fun.
I found myself turning on the television to watch some mindless sitcoms. Finding their Match was a common theme in a lot of them, usually the way they run into each other for the first time being some preposterous thing that would never happen in normal life. I found myself realizing that my own situation could be found in one of these shows and grumbled unhappily while snacking on some chips.
A little while later, Brenton found his way here, throwing the door open with a loud bang. His place was down the hall and because he was so conveniently located, I gave him his own key in the instances that I accidentally locked myself out... which happened frequently.
"What the hell was that back at the hospital?" He asked, clearly still confused about the whole thing.
I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the television where a girl tried to communicate with a mime. "Found Jonah."
"But you can't just... You shouldn't..." He groaned. "Teagan, I'm starting to understand why the poor guy ran away from you. You're nuts!"
I threw a glare his way. "How? Because I want answers?"
"You can't just chase after someone! This isn't Cops!"
I shrugged. "It worked though."
His eyes brightened. "Really? Do you have some cute date next week or something now? Are you two so in love?"
I gave him a sheepish look. "Well... About that..."
I went into my spiel about what happened, not bothering to let even the more embarrassing moments out. Brenton was my best friend and even though I knew he would make fun of me for all of this, he was the only person I really trusted and had enough of a connection with to be fully comfortable letting everything out to.
When I was done, Brenton was staring at me with wide eyes. "That guy..." he started. "Is a lunatic. You really know how to pick them, T."
"I didn't even pick him!"
"Exactly. That makes it even worse. You really know how to be destined to a guy."
I rolled my eyes and slumped down into the couch even more, hoping to be fully engulfed by it. "What do I even do now?" I asked. "This isn't how Matching is supposed to go."
Brenton thought about it for a little bit. "Honestly? Just move on, I guess. He'll have to come around eventually. That's just part of the Mark, it draws you to your Match."
"Yeah if you have a strong enough bond."
"But you found him today, one day after Matching, didn't you?" He pointed out. "After you went years and years with no contact whatsoever. That should tell you right there that there's something there."
I looked down at my arm, the letter to Jonah's name shining in gray lettering. It's so crazy to think that this boy had been taking over my every waking thought only a few days ago, nothing but hope there that is now filled with scorn and annoyance.
"My biggest curiosity is why he was in the TICU."
This brought me out of my thoughts. "What?"
"At the hospital. He was leaving the TICU ward. The trauma intensive care unit. Either that or he was just cutting through but the time he was there matches with visiting hours."
Maybe someone he knew was in there and that's why he doesn't want me around. I thought about that theory a bit more before concluding that while it didn't make anything better, it did make sense.
"I'll just give him some space then," I concluded. "Wait a few weeks then see what happens."
Brenton nodded in agreement and finally sat down next to me, grabbing the chip bag from me and digging in. "Good idea. You always need to look at the bright side!"
I smiled, feeling a little better about this whole situation.
Maybe, just maybe, there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
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