“How the hell did we end up like this?” I whispered into the cold wall of silence that used to be filled with bubbly and silly banter.
I stood taller than her by almost a full foot. The sun beat down on us. The concrete sidewalk was burning the hell outta my uncovered feet. Her dark hair shimmered with her natural highlights, reddish waves curling and weaving through the dark brown like a snake. She stood with her short petite legs together and she was looking down at her shoes. I watched as a tear released itself from the corner of her eye and meander down, following the grooves of the face I had caressed so many times. It stopped at her lips. The same lips I kissed every second I got the chance.
“I made a mistake Josh, a really big mistake,” came the choked response. She glanced up, her eyes frantically searching mine. She was trying to read my expression, I knew her too well.
“What are you saying? I..I gave you my heart Kat. What…are you saying this is it? We’re over now? After so long.. you’re just going to let s*** get between us?” I was starting to get frustrated. I had done everything to make her happy over the 13 months we had been together.
“I.. I can’t do this.” She turned on her heels sharply and started to walk away. I stood planted in my tracks, speechless. I couldn’t believe she was doing this to me. I loved her. What had I done to deserve this? Her retreated form had made good ground as my brain was trying to process everything.
“KAT!” I yelled, tears starting to spring from my eyes. “Kaaaat! Wait wait wait!” I called after her. I broke into a jog, trying to catch up. She looked over her shoulder quickly, the blue eyes I used to stare into lovingly widen before she took off running down the sidewalk. I knew it was hopeless but I had to get her to see how much I cared for her. The main road that trickled into my neighborhood loomed ahead. I couldn’t tell if Kat was slowing down or not. My throat clenched, my breath coming out in great heaves. Her iPhone dropped out of the back pocket of her pants.
“KAT! Your phone!” I yelled, trying to use that to get her to slow down. I jogged up to the device lying in the middle of the asphalt street and picked it up. The screen glowed instantly and started vibrating. A text message. I read the preview quickly before I started jogging to catch up with her. Then I stopped and clicked the home button again. I reread that message preview. Over and over within fifteen seconds.
I still hear her scream as the bus hit her. The screech of tires trying to find the traction on the asphalt to stop. The crunch of her body slamming onto the road. The sight of her crumpled bloody figure in the middle of the road and the smoke rising from the trucks engine haunts me to this day.
And, I still remember the text message she received from my best friend.
Will you please be mine? I’ve held my breath for so long. <3 Hunter