The Stopover Novels & Stories

According to my original plan, I shouldn’t make any stop before I crossed the border. But Hover’s condition worsened with each passing mile. His breathing grew labored, and his moans of pain became more frequent. It looked like that if I didn’t stop and get medicines for Hover soon, he might very well die in my car. As dawn began to break, I spotted a small, rundown town near the border. And I was running out of gas. So it might be a good idea to make a brief stop before hitting the road again. I pulled into the town, scanning for any place that might served as our temporary refuge. I couldn’t leave the bleeding Hover in the car while I was out searching for food and medicine. It caught too

There were only two seats left at the company dinner. One was in the corner, and the other was beside my secret boyfriend of three years, Julian Locke. I had barely taken a step forward when Julian called out to my best friend, Capri Leigh. "Capri, sit here." My coworkers immediately squealed with excitement. The group chat went wild too. "They look so good together. Just seeing them sitting next to each other is a treat!" "Has Mr. Locke ever asked someone to sit with him before?" "I bet he's got a thing for Capri. I don't care. I'm shipping them anyway!" Throughout the dinner, Julian avoided even looking at me to keep people from getting suspicious. Even when a server burned my ha

"I did not. Can I see them?" He took out a copy of the resignation letter and slid it across the table. “You might want to take a sit.” “This will take forever.” Gabriel stood up and walked over to the corner where Anna's application once flooded the floor. Anna followed him with her eyes. “Can you see this distance, Anna?” Anna nodded carefully. “This is the distance I need to stop myself from running to you and kissing you again. And do you know how far this office is from your house?” Anna nodded again. She didn’t want to talk. She’s afraid she could burst into tears.

"But thanks for the overshare." "Which part was over share? The sleeping together part or the inventive way he uses his tongue?" I wince, attempting to keep the visual at bay. "All of it." She rolls her eyes before huffing out a breath. "Oh, come on, that's hardly too much information." "It's actually the definition of TMI." "It's not like I told you about how he-" This time, I slap a hand over her mouth to stop her from speaking. "TMI, Brook, TMI."

Another city. The next airport. But tonight the words hesitate somewhere in my throat. “I’m not sure yet,” I say slowly. “Really?” “Yeah.” “That’s unusual.” “Tell me about it.” I turn onto my stomach, resting my chin against the pillow. The idea has been floating in the back of my mind for days now. Quiet. Persistent. Maybe it’s time to stop moving so quickly. Maybe it’s time to stay somewhere long enough for things to feel real. The thought should scare me.

Adam tried to go further, tugging at my clothes and trying to pull them down. Just then, something in me shifted. My mind snapped back to reality. This wasn’t right and this wasn’t me. “Stop,” I said, pushing his chest. but he didn’t stop. “Please…” My voice shook, I pushed harder, with my breath coming in short gasps. Finally, after several tries. he froze, then pulled his hand away from between my thighs. My whole body trembled, I let out a breath I didn’t even know I was holding,

The smallest one stood between them. He glanced up at me and said, “Good morning, Mother,” before turning back to his figures. I stayed by the door. “Eren,” I said, “Mother is leaving. Take care of yourself from now on.” He only nodded, distracted, as if I had told him I would be gone for the morning. Then I saw the word he had carved into the wooden base beneath the three figures. Home. There was no fourth figure. I looked at it for a long moment.

"How delightfully euphemistic. Say it properly, Aria. If the clinical approach fails, what exactly will happen?" Heat flooded my cheeks. "If medical procedures fail to achieve pregnancy within six months, I will... submit to natural conception methods." "Better. Though I prefer more explicit language." He moved closer. "But I suppose clarity can wait until the necessity arises." The room felt smaller with him standing so close. After what felt like an eternity of silence, during which I was certain he could hear my heart hammering against my ribs, Damian moved back to his desk. He reached for his phone with deliberate precision.

Monday afternoon I am napping and my phone buzzes. It’s my cousin texting saying her son has a layover in my town on his way home for spring break. I look at the itinerary and notice it’s an overnight layover to which I reply that I have a spare bedroom and he is more than welcome to stay here in a bed rather than the airport.

The vehicle hissed to a stop, exhaling a cloud of gray exhaust that was quickly swallowed by the biting, mountain air. This village didn't have a name on the main highway signs, just a cluster of jagged stone cottages and rusted tin roofs huddled together against the wind. It was a waypoint, a place for people to vanish for twelve hours before crossing the border. Sophie had been precise: stay low, stay for the night, and by tomorrow afternoon, she would leave the country forever.