by Rebel Adams
“You okay?” he asks, his voice filled with question.
I listen intently to his voice. Do I recognize it? Yes, I think I do. How could it be him? It’s been so long. I need make sure. I need to see his face.
We didn’t exchange names that night, no we did much more. He treated me as if I was the most important woman in the world. The attention he gave me and my body was incredible. I’ve never felt so connected to another human being. His touch, his lips and the ways in which he made my body quiver with longing are things that I’ll never forget.
After all this time, I didn’t think that I’d ever see him again. It’s been nearly three years since that night at the bar and he still has an effect on me.
Moving to step out of the car, I stand next to him. He’s taller than me and the frame of his body is just like I remember. I move in closer to him and try my damnedest to see his face under his hat. It’s too dark and I sure as hell don’t want to appear as though I’m a creeper trying to stare at him.
Stepping back from his stance, I walk past him moving towards the back of the car. I push the key into the lock and pop it open. The light of the trunk is burnt out and there’s no way to see inside to search for the spare tire.
“Shit, there’s no light,” I curse.
“I’ll be right back,” he says before walking back to his car.
The sound of his voice sends shivers down my spine; it has to be him.
I patiently wait for him to come back to the car, twisting my hands together in front of my stomach. Suddenly, I begin to feel very nervous. My mind, body and soul have gone through hell today, and now the man I’ve dreamt about for years, could possibly be right here next to me again.
A loud bang sounds and I watch as he moves from the side of his car towards me. A light flashes from alongside of him and I see he’s gotten a flashlight from the car.
“This should help,” he says, shining the light into the trunk of my car.
“I hope so,” I reply.
“Geez, you leaving town for a bit?” he asks, looking in at the bags that now carry my life.
My eyes roll and I place a hand on my hip.
“I did say that today’s been the day from hell, didn’t I?’
“Yeah, I guess you did. Well, help me get this stuff out of the way so I can dig out the spare.”
Together, we pull out the bags and lift the carpet in the trunk to find that there’s no spare tire.
“What the fuck?” I shout.
A laugh escapes his lips as my hand flies to my mouth.
“Sorry, I’m not usually like this…”
He stops me by putting his hand on mine. “You’ve had a really bad day. I get that now. How can I help you?”
From the light of the flashlight, I can finally see his face. It’s him.
Tyler
How can I even begin to concentrate? It’s her and I can’t believe she’s here with me right here and now. The moment our fingers touched I knew it, but couldn’t fathom that this was really happening. I can tell she’s distraught, but not knowing what’s wrong, I don’t know how I can help her.
It’s been three years since I spent a night with her. Three long years, where all I could do was compare my life without my beautiful stranger. Now, she’s here again, standing mere inches from my body and I’m frozen.
I don’t know what to do—what to say.
From the look on her face, I know she’s just realized it’s me. As much as I want to pull her into my arms, it’s not the time or the place. There’s been too much time separating us from one another, and for all I know, she could be married with a house full of kids.
Her throat clears and she reaches into the trunk to remove the bags. I position the flashlight beneath my arm and chest. A light drizzle begins to fall from the sky and I know that I better move quickly before the skies really open up.
The flashlight slips and falls into the trunk. I quickly grab for it and hold it out in her direction.
“Hold this and I’ll get your bags out of the trunk,” I instruct while handing it to her. Her eyes grow big as the light shines in both of our faces and she takes the flashlight from my hands.
The rain is starting to come down harder and the back of my shirt is now soaked.
“Shit, this sucks,” I shout.
She jumps from my outburst, and then sets the flashlight down to help me.
“We really should wait to do this. The rain is only going to come down harder, and if I continue to try and change this tire now, we’ll both be soaked.”
“Umm okay,” she whispers.
I start to toss the bags back into the trunk, slam down the lid and reach for her hand. My fingers instantly interlace with hers, as if they’ve always been made to do so. The same tingle from her touch runs up my arm as I pull her toward the cruiser. Opening the passenger’s side door, I indicate for her to slide in and shut the door. I rush over to my side and hop in as the rain pours down onto me. “Damn it. Wasn’t expected that to happen,” I say, turning in my seat to face her.
When I look at her, I notice her body is trembling. My eyes roam her small frame, and every inch of her is drenched from the rain. “You’re soaked,” I say as my hand reaches out to tuck a few strands of hair off her face and behind her ear.
She’s speechless, not uttering a word, but holding my gaze as if we were long lost strangers… wait we are.
“Can you turn on the heat so I can try and dry myself off?” she asks.
Fuck… shit. Why didn’t I think of that? She has such an effect on me that I’m completely clueless as to what I should do or even say.
“Yeah, of course,” I reply.
Starting the car, I blast the heat. Leaning over, I maneuver the vents so that they’re aiming straight on her body. I feel useless, helpless and I don’t know what to do or say to her. Resting my head back onto my seat, I let out a heavy sigh.
“I’m sorry you pulled over. You should have just kept going.”
Her words hurt me, I don’t understand why. Does she not feel the instant connection that I do? Has she not thought about that night, as I have, for the past three years?
What the hell am I even thinking? Why would she have thought about me like that? It was only one night; a night when we were both drunk and obviously in need of the comfort from a random hook up.
This… thing I feel right now is nothing to her. I need to snap back out of my memories and back to the cold-hearted prick I’ve become.
“It’s my job, lady; I can’t leave a helpless woman on the side of the road. Especially in your situation.”
She lets out a burst of air and slaps her hands down on her legs. “Well, excuse me for having a shitty-ass day; you should have just kept driving.”
“It’s not my problem what kind of day you’ve had. I was just doing my job.”
“What an asshole,” she mumbles under her breath.
The rain is now pelting down on the windshield and I can tell it’s not going to let up anytime soon. The air in the car is thick with tension and I only have one way out of this sickening situation I’ve put myself in. “I’ll tag your car and have someone come get it in the morning. Where do you live so I can get you home?”
“I don’t need you to do my any favors, Officer.”
“Sherriff Jones.”
“What?”
“The name is Sherriff Jones, not Officer,” I reply in a cocky tone.”
“Oh, my God, you are really something, Sherriff Jones. I can take care of myself. Just go on your merry way and pretend like this night never happened.”
She’s right. I need to move on and forget that night and this night forever. There’s no use dwelling on a past that will never shape my future. I watch as she reaches for the door and starts to step out into the pouring rain. My gut tells me to just let her go, but the ice surrounding my coldhearted heart slowly melts away. As I watch her walk away, I want nothing more than to stop her.
I can’t do this.
I don’t want to get involved in something that will only end badly. Putting the cruiser in drive, I steer my way back onto the road and head for home. A cold beer, no a six pack of beer is calling me. I need to numb my mind, body and soul from what I’ve just done.
I can’t look back.
I can’t feel the things that are welling up inside of me.
I can’t wish for something that I know is nothing.
Saige
As I walk through the pouring rain toward my car, I play the last few minutes over and over in my mind. Was he really the man of my dreams? The one that took my soul all those years ago?
I can’t be for certain if the sheriff is my perfect stranger, but he looked so much like him. When he touched my hand, I could feel the connection we once shared. I know it’s crazy to say that there was a spark, but really there was. I felt it. Whenever he’s touched me, my entire body has lit up with electricity. It’s nothing I’ve ever had happen to me with another man.
Not even Ted.
I met my now ex-fiancé, the douche-bag Ted, a few weeks after that night. I wanted to feel that connection again, but it was so hard to replace. No matter how much I needed it, I let myself fall into a relationship with a man that could only mask the loss I was feeling.
Falling in love with Ted took time. I built up a semi-permanent wall and was scared to let anyone in, fearing another man would walk out of my life. My relationship with Ted was new and fun; he treated me the way I thought I wanted to be treated. Slowly, I let my wall break down and allowed Ted to consume my heart. But, the memories of my perfect stranger still plagued my thoughts, my dreams and my unconscious.
The one night we shared has repeated over and over in my head so many times. The thoughts of seeing him again were so distant that I never really believed it would, one day, become my reality. This stranger, in one night, was so caring, so attentive to me and my body. How could he now be such a dick and push me away like this?
Sliding into my car, I jump to the sound of his screeching tires as he pulls away. He’s leaving. No, more like running away. I’m alone, cold and afraid about what will happen to me next.
As I sit in my car, my body turns into a block of ice, a brick of trembling uncertainty. I can’t believe he just drove off like that and left me stranded on the side of the highway. A part of me feels like I really can’t blame him. I suppose I wasn’t the most welcoming company either, but how can he just drive away?
I’m frozen from the rain and my soaked clothing. Stuck here on the side of the road, for who knows how long, I have no idea what to do. There’s nowhere for me to go. He’s left me…again.
My mind goes into overdrive trying to come up with a plan, while dissecting what just happened with Sherriff Jones. I don’t understand how men can be so cold, so cruel and so fucking hateful. I don’t understand what the hell I’ve done so wrong to deserve this treatment. Not only has one man broken my heart, but it’s now two who have left me to fend for myself, both without a second thought.
Am I really so unworthy of a happily ever after?
The memories of the night we shared continue to play through my mind. It really was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. I can’t be the only one who felt the bond we share. How can he just walk away from that?
I’m so torn, yet stuck in a useless car on the side of the road, miles away from civilization. Tears sting my eyes and I let the dam burst. Uncontrollable sobs take over, and my entire body shakes. I can’t be sure if my body is going into shock from the cold, wet clothes I’m sitting in or if my reality is really starting to sink in.
The pain coursing through my chest is almost unbearable. I’m nothing but a broken woman who will never find happiness. My life sucks. There’s no doubt in my mind that this has to be the worst day of my life.
I close my eyes as the tears fall down my face. Wrapping my arms around my frozen body, I rest my head back onto the seat. Trying to control my quivering shell of a body from the coldness that surrounds me, I try to fall into the pain, letting it consume me. The hurt and damage of the day takes over my senses, and despite the cold, I fall into a comatose sleep.
My tired eyes pull open to the light of the rising sun shining in my face. Gripping my hands together, they are cold as ice. My clothes are still damp and clinging to my body. Sitting up in my soggy, wet seat, I look into the rearview mirror at my reflection. My lips are a deep shade of blue and my face is covered in red blotches with a smear of mascara coating my blood shot eyes.
As much as I wish the past few hours were a wicked nightmare, they’re not. This is my life, not a bad dream. I’d have hoped to wake up warm and cozy in my bed, but that’s not my reality. I’m still stuck here, abandoned on the side of the road. I want to have a plan, to foresee a way out of the mess I’m in, but I don’t know what to do.
Reaching my fingers through my hair to remove my ponytail, I pull it all off my face and tie it back into a messy bun. With what little I have, I attempt to fix myself the best I can. I need to get out of this car and find a place to get warm and pull myself together.
If this is how my life is going to be from now on, I need to figure a way to make it work. I have to find a place to stay, a hot shower and start looking for a job to help me pay for the things I’ll need. Getting out of the car, I move to the trunk. Opening the hatch, I reach in for few things I’ll need once I get myself to a motel. With my arms full of my necessities, I walk away from my car and start on a road to a new life.
Tyler
The blaring alarm on my cell phone goes off and I know that it’s time to get my lazy ass up and to the gym. As I open my eyes, I feel my surroundings and remember where I am…in my chair. I dig in my pocket for my phone to turn off the horrid noise echoing through the walls of the room.
It’s going to be a typical Saturday; well, at least, that’s what I plan on doing for the moment. Then the memories of last night flash through my mind.
I regret what I’ve done and there’s no way to take it back now. She was left stranded on the side of the highway with no way to leave. I can’t fathom how scared she must have been, and it’s my fault.
What kind of a monster have I become to leave her like that? I hate myself more now than I ever have before. I scrunch my eyes together tightly and wish I could take back time.
When I got home last night, I didn’t even change out of my wet clothes. Instead, I headed straight to the liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey.
The way I was feeling, I needed something stronger that a six pack to numb my senses. I threw myself down in my chair and downed one too many gulps of the amber liquid. Slowly, the thoughts running through my mind, and the beautiful blonde I had just left, became a hazy blur in my memory.
Now looking in front of me at the coffee table, I see an empty bottle sitting there. I don’t know how long it took me to pass out from intoxication, but here I sit in my chair with a pounding headache and severe cottonmouth.
Every second of the last twelve hours plays through my thoughts. What the fuck have I done? I left her, to fend for herself all alone. There’s no doubt in mind that what I did was the cruelest thing I’ve ever done to another human being.
I hate myself. No, hate isn’t even strong enough of a word to describe how I feel about myself right now; I’m a vicious man with a cold, black heart.
The person I’ve become since Tessa left is slowly killing me inside. I’ve built up walls in hopes that one day I’d find the woman to break them down…to find her once again. I had my chance, and instead of taking a risk on my perfect stranger, I left her.
Twice.
A pang of guilt hits me hard and I wish I could take back what I’ve done. Sitting up, I rest my elbows on my knees and run my fingers through my hair. I’m a bastard of a man. Who the hell do I think I am to treat another person the way I treated her? She was the only woman I’ve been able to think about day and night. I’m really no better of a person than Tessa.
I need to g
et my shit together and find her. I can’t go on knowing what I’ve done to her. She could be the one to break me free of the pain of the past.
Getting up from the chair, I stumble into the coffee table as the empty whiskey bottle crashes to the floor in a million pieces.
Fuck my life.
Looking down at the mess at my feet, I shake my head. This will just have to wait. I need to get my shit together and find her. Even if I have to comb the city, I will find my girl.
I quickly rush to the bathroom, turning the shower all the way to hot. Stripping myself of my uniform, I hop in, letting the scalding hot water burn into my skin. Soaping up my body, I rinse off and dry the moisture from my skin in record time.
Wrapping a towel around my waist, I move toward my room and pull out a pair of track pants and a t-shirt.
I don’t know if she’s still on the side of the road or if someone else has found her and given her a reason to hate me more than she already does. All I know is I need to try my hardest to fix this.
Moving back to the bathroom, I fumble through the pile of clothes on the floor. Finding my keys, I head out to my jeep. I don’t want to take the cruiser; I rarely ever do if I’m not on duty.
Heading out of my neighborhood, I pray over and over in my head that I’ll find her and she’ll give me the time of day to apologize. I can’t imagine that she’ll be willing to talk to me; I won’t blame her even if she slaps me across my face. All I know right now is that I have to explain everything to her; I need for her to understand why I’ve become the man that I am. She has to see my side of things and know that she’s been with me every day since the night we shared.
I head toward the highway in search of her car. As I pull up behind it, I jump out of the jeep and run to the driver’s side door. She’s not inside. She’s not here. My chest begins to tighten as I walk around her vehicle. Both tires are still deflated and there’s no sign of her in the distance.