Desire short journey east (4)
I believe the answer is:
hope
'desire' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'journey east' is the wordplay.
'journey' becomes 'hop' (as in a short hop, a short journey).
'east' becomes 'e' (synonyms).
'hop'+'e'='HOPE'
'short' is the link.
(Other definitions for hope that I've seen before include "Anticipation" , "Trust" , "Companion to faith and charity" , "Positive expectation" , "The Cape of Good -" .)