The night before I left for Washington Damon called my cellphone. I recognised the number instantly and I hesitated a while before I answered the call. Maybe it was time to face the problem. Running away would never solve the problem. Furthermore I wanted to know the answer. Was I missing something here?

"So you have finally decided to take my call huh?" Damon sounded sarcastic. "I thought you would avoid me forever."

"I'm sorry. I'm just busy and I apologise if I had stepped on your ego."

He chuckled and then sounded very serious. "Can we talk?"

"We are talking now," I answered.

"I don't understand. I thought we are friends..." he paused. "But why this sudden change? Why this hostility?"

Friends...I wished he and I could be friends...

"Damon, can I tell you a story?"I spoke after a while.

"What story?" he asked.

"Just listen, will you?"

"Sure!"

I took a deep breath and started my story.

"There is this girl. She is very plain. Very ordinary. She is not outgoing and she is never outstanding. Her only passion is books. She did well in school not because she was smart but because she worked her ass hard."

"She excells In her academics and her career but still she is not the centre of attraction. But it's okay. Not everyone will approve or appreciate who or what you are. They are entitiled to their own opinions and views. She believes that one day there will be someone who 'will be able to see her true self and love and appreciate the way she is."

"4 years ago she met a wonderful man and thought that her dream had finally come true. Unfortunately life was not as sweet as she thought it would be. She understood that God wasn't punishing her or failing to answer her prayer. It's just life happening."

"Elena..." Damon interrupted.

"Please let me finish the story," I begged.

He kept quiet on the other end. I continued.

"Life goes on. She still thinks of this man but she knows that a miracle will never happen. Her greatest wish is to know that he is happy always."

"But then lightning struck! She met him again. Isn't it amazing? The timing seemed right and they shared common grounds but she is afraid because she believes that nobody as perfect as he is will ever look into her way. She becomes a Runaway soul, running away from all the problems," I sniffled.

"Deep inside her heart there is always a question that she wanted to ask but too afraid to open her mouth: what does he think of her?"

I paused for a second before I carried on. It was hard for me but it was time to learn to deal with problems.

"When she realised that this wonderful man has found his true love her dreams shattered and her world was torn apart. It hurt her so much that she could not face him anymore - a friend she always wanted to have all her life yet she had to let go of this friendship. How she wished she could share his day but ..."I swallowed hard to fight the lump forming inside my throat.

"It's nobody's fault. This is the journey of life for Runaway soul. Nobody can change it."

There was a silence over the other end of the phone. I felt tears stinging my eyes...

How I was able to tell how I felt to Damon was intriguing. Where did I find such strength and courage? I was not sure. Maybe he would runaway this time. Maybe it was the perfect solution to the problem.

"Can I interrupt now?" Damon spoke eventually.

"Yeah.."

"I never think that the girl of your story is plain and ordinary. She is Runaway soul but I think she is very brave. It takes a lot of courage to be able to tell her true feelings. But she is very stubborn too!"

I held my breath as I listened.

"If she feels lost, then he too doesn't know where this road is going. Are they gonna let go of what they have shared completely?"

"If she sees him walking down the road with someone else, it is not because he likes it, I i's because she is not brave enough to walk with him."

"If she hears him talking about other women all the time, it is not because he likes to talk about them, it is because she is too deaf to hear his heart."

My tears streamed down immediately and I started crying.

"If she cries, he too feels the pain. It is nothing less than what she is feeling." he said gently.

"What you make of your life is up to you. Nobody knows what might the future hold. The choice is yours, Runaway soul."

"Tomorrow is not a promise to anyone and today maybe the last chance you get. We don't always get a second chance and that's life. It is risky, it is frightening but all you need to do is look, listen and trust."

"The answers lie inside you."