Until the Last Breath

I whipped out my cellphone, dialing Max. He didn’t answer. I wasn’t surprised. We’d had it rough and he was playing this annoying distant game that I was becoming fed up with.

“Shit,” I hissed when it went to his voicemail.

I had a spare tire and remembered my father showing me how to change one once, but as I sat inside my beat-up Punch Buggy, I had no clue where to start with the rain and thunder.

Instead of sitting around waiting for Max to answer, I hopped out of the car and rushed to the trunk, rain beating down on me. Popping the trunk, I bent down to take a look inside. I had a lug wrench, a spare tire…but I wasn’t sure what the hell else I needed.

I stepped back, watching as cars rushed by me, the helpless girl stuck in the rain, cold and fucking pissed. I tried Emilia but there was no answer. I knew she was asleep. It was after ten. She was an early bird, plus she’d been stressed and overloaded with studying and finals.

“Damn it!” I shouted, and as if things couldn’t have gotten any worse, a large gush of water hit my face, soaking the entire front half of my body.

I gasped and, unsure how to react, just stood there on the side of the road, arms up in the air, dumbfounded as I watched the white Mercedes Benz keep driving.

I would never forget that snazzy car. It was one I knew I’d never be able to afford. It sped toward the exit and I cursed after it, yelling every bad name in the book as if the person could hear me. I was sure they had no clue I was even there.

To my surprise, after my ranting and waving a fist in the Mercedes’s direction, the car came to a stop, the red brake lights bright.

Soon, the reverse lights came on and the car zoomed backwards, maneuvering to the right and stopping a few yards in front my car.

Oh, shit. I’d done it now.

I stood in place, slowly reaching for the wrench in my trunk. I couldn’t clearly make out the person as they climbed out of the car, but the person was definitely tall and sporting a black coat. The person walked with a slow stride, the stride of a killer, I’d say, or maybe I was just thinking that because I was stranded on the side of the road in the rain.

The closer the person got, however, the more I realized how absolutely beautiful he was. Because of my headlights, I could see the raindrops that had collected on his long eyelashes. It had dampened his messy bed of auburn hair and his eyes were so blue and mesmerizing.

He narrowed his gaze as he came closer, moving around the passenger side of my car with his hands in the air, a defenseless gesture.

“Hey!” he called over the noise of the passing cars and rain. “You alright?”

I nodded, taking a step back, tightening my grip around the metal. “I’m fine!”

His eyes moved down to my anaconda grip around the wrench. “Do you need some help?”

“No.” I shook my head, shooing him away. “I’m fine, sir. Please, just go back to your fancy car and soak another person standing on the side of the road with a puddle.”

He scanned me with his eyes. “I sincerely apologize for that. I had no idea anyone was standing by the car.” He took a step forward. I stepped away. He stopped in his tracks. “I’m not here to hurt you. Here—” He marched ahead, reaching for the wrench in my hands.

Defensive, I held it up, warding him off. “I told you I’m fine! I have friends coming to help me!” What a lie. All of my friends were too busy ignoring my calls. His hands shot up to the air quickly as he backed away, stunned. But in a matter of seconds, he was shaking his head and walking away, back to his Mercedes. “Yeah,” I called after him. “Just go!”

Only, he didn’t go. He popped his trunk, dug some items out, and then rushed back. I gasped, my heart racing, thinking he was coming to kill me.

I figured in that moment I was going to die. Maybe he had anger issues and didn’t like the way I was talking to him. Or maybe he hated rejection. Either way I’d just gotten on his bad side and was bound to die now.

I wouldn’t have been able to make it far if I tried to run, and he seemed fit enough to catch me if I dared. Open roads with fast cars surrounded me and going for the woods was a definite no-go. I stood still, stuck in my tracks as he met up to my car again.