SANSA
Sansa's stomach was in painful knots from the amount of guilt and shame that coursed through her in waves. She couldn't believe that she was putting Petyr through this. He had done nothing but love her, show her kindness, and take care of her when everyone else was gone.
She had woken up panicked and confused about her surroundings, until she'd remembered what she had done. Fearfully she had checked her phone, just to choke back a sob at the fifty plus missed calls, numerous voice mails, and over fifty panicked and urgent messages from Petyr.
Tears burned her eyes. What if Petyr was right and Jon just told her to go back home because he wasn't interested in having her around? Then all of this panic that she was causing him would be for naught. Maybe I should just go back home, she sniffled.
Petyr would be furious, but she would allow him as many kisses as he wanted if he would forgive her.
He'd only been trying to protect her when he had told her that she couldn't see Jon. He told her to wait a while so that he could meet Jon first before allowing Sansa to reunite with him. The tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away before anyone saw.
Now she'd made his worst nightmare come true. She went missing. Even though she was aware of his overcautious nature when it came to her. He would sometimes have her followed from a distance. But Sansa knew that it was only because he was terrified of losing her too. He'd once told her that losing her would kill him. I would die from heartbreak, sweetling, he had told her, right before kissing her gently.
"Are you okay, honey?" A lady in the next aisle was looking at her, concern written on her face.
Sansa drew in a shaky breath, before exhaling and offering the lady a wobbly smile. "I'm just homesick," she replied.
Her sadness soon melted away as the train rolled along and the scenic views captured her attention. She found herself wishing that she'd brought along a camera as the train ran alongside the bay, so close that it appeared to be gliding on the water. The soothing image of the water lapping so peacefully made her feel as if all of her troubles were floating away. The scenery soon changed to a barren looking forest and Sansa settled back into her seat. Fitting, she thought dryly.
Her stomach grumbled, so she made her way to the Amtrak cafe and bought a hotdog and root beer, before making her way back to her seat.
The scenery picked up again when they reached the Sierra Nevada and Sansa was shocked at how chilly it became in the train and all of the snow that covered the ground. A mere few hours later, the snow gave way to dry, thirsty lands and a stifling desert. It's as if I'm being transported back and forth from one part of the sphere to another, she marveled.
When dinner time came around, Sansa went to the dining car with the other passengers. She found an empty table and slid herself over on the bench until she was next to the window.
A few minutes later, a middle aged couple occupied the opposite bench at her table. "Hello," the lady smiled at her kindly. "Are you traveling on your own?"
"I'm going to my father's. My parents are divorced." The lie slid off Sansa's tongue smoothly enough that the couple believed her.
The woman's eyes softened. "It must be hard. Poor thing."
Sansa gave her a polite smile, before picking up her menu and studying it. She ended up ordering a slow-cooked beef short-ribs, with smoke-died chipotle pepper and mushroom cream sauce, white rice, carrots and green beans.
After dinner, she slept curled up in her seat, only to awaken in the wee hours of the morning as the train stopped in Salt Lake City to let off some passengers. As the twinkling lights of the city passed by, before getting left behind by the chugging train, she wistfully thought about all of the people sleeping comfortably in their beds, and wished that she too was tucked up in her own bed.