A RIDE TO REMEMBER
1114 Words
It was just a normal day.
Nothing special.
Nothing unusual.
Just Ethan, David, and Isabella going out for a ride together.
David was behind the wheel, humming along to a song playing softly from the car speakers while Ethan sat in the passenger seat. Isabella occupied the back seat, occasionally leaning forward whenever she wanted to join the conversation.
As usual, the journey was filled with laughter.
One joke led to another.
One story led to another.
Nobody was paying attention to time.
At some point, Ethan suddenly cleared his throat dramatically.
"I have an announcement." he stated
David rolled his eyes.
"Whenever you say that, trouble follows."
Ethan ignored him.
"I'm getting married soon." he announced instantly
The car went silent for two seconds.
Then David burst out laughing.
"To who?" David asked
"My wife." he answered proudly
David laughed again.
Meanwhile, Isabella simply shook her head- Normally, a statement like that would have made her curious.
Maybe even uncomfortable.
But not anymore.
Over the past few months, she had convinced herself that Ethan still wasn't over his ex.
Every little thing seemed to point back to her.
So when Ethan mentioned marriage, Isabella didn't think much about it.
Probably another joke.
Or maybe another girl.
Either way, she had taught herself not to dwell on it.
"Congratulations," she said dryly.
Ethan turned around in his seat.
"That's all?
"What else do you want me to say?" She asked
Ethan said jokingly"I expected tears."
David nearly drove off the road laughing.
"You'll wait forever."
The teasing continued as they drove on.
Unfortunately, David was enjoying the conversation so much that he wasn't paying enough attention to the road.
"David, watch the road," Isabella warned.
"I'm watching."
"You are not."
"I am."
"You literally aren't."
Before anyone could continue the argument, a vehicle suddenly appeared from the opposite direction.
Everything happened quickly.
Too quickly.
David reacted late.
The car swerved.
Isabella grabbed the seat.
David shouted.
And Ethan immediately reached for the steering wheel, helping David regain control.
For a terrifying second, it felt like the car would lose balance completely.
Then—The vehicle steadied.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
The car continued moving.
Safe.
Unharmed.
Alive.
For a few seconds nobody spoke.
Then Ethan exhaled loudly.
"David." he called
David stared ahead.
"Yes?"
"You almost killed us."
The silence lasted another second.
Then suddenly everyone started laughing.
Mostly out of relief.
"You wanted to kill your own sister?" Ethan asked dramatically.
David finally recovered enough to defend himself- "Nothing would have happened."
"Nothing would have happened?" Ethan repeated.
"I literally saved your life."Ethan said proudly
David scoffed.
"I had everything under control." David refused to admit
"You had nothing under control." Ethan argued
David spoke "I did."
"You didn't." Ethan argued back
"I did."
Ethan turned toward Isabella.
"Did you hear him?"
She nodded.
"I heard him."
"Tell him I saved everyone." Ethan said dramatically
"You did."
Ethan pointed at David victoriously.
"You see?"
David groaned.
"This is why I shouldn't bring you people anywhere."
The laughter returned.
The scare slowly faded.
And before long they were back to teasing one another as if nothing had happened.
Just another ordinary day.
Just another near disaster.
Just another memory added to the countless moments they shared together.
The laughter from the near accident followed them for the rest of the ride.
Every few minutes Ethan would find a new way to bring it up.
"David, please focus on the road." he would say
"Ethan, we're parked." David answered
"Just making sure."
Isabella laughed.
David groaned.
"I saved your lives and this is the thanks I get?" David claimed
"You saved nothing," Ethan replied immediately.
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
"If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't even be here." Ethan spoke with pride
"If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have almost crashed." David defended
Isabella burst out laughing again.
David shook his head.
"I regret being friends with you"
"Too late," Ethan and Isabella said at the same time.
The two of them looked at each other.
Then laughed.
David pointed accusingly, "See? This is what I'm talking about."
"What?" Ethan asked.
"You two are always teaming up against me." David spoke like he was being intimidated
"We are not," Isabella said.
"You are." He fired
"We aren't." Isabella defended
"You literally answered together."
That only made them laugh harder.
Eventually, they stopped by a small roadside spot to buy drinks and snacks before heading back home.
As they sat together, eating and talking, the mood remained light.
The earlier scare had become another joke.
Another story to tease David about forever.
At some point, David got up to answer a phone call.
"I'll be back." he said and walked out
The moment he walked away, an unusual silence settled between Ethan and Isabella-not uncomfortable.
Just different.
Ethan took a sip from his drink.
Then glanced at her.
"You were really scared back there."
Isabella looked down at her bottle.
"A little."
"A little?"
She smiled.
"Okay. Maybe more than a little."
Ethan nodded.
"I figured."
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Isabella looked at him.
"You reacted fast." she spoke
"Hmm?" he mumbled more like a question
"Back there." Isabella continued
Ethan shrugged.
"I didn't really think about it." he said casually
"Still."She paused."Thank you."
The words were simple.
But they carried more weight than either of them expected.
Ethan looked away briefly.
"No need."
She smiled softly. " There is, "You helped."
For some reason, Ethan found himself smiling too.
"Well, I couldn't let David become a murderer." he said jokingly
Isabella laughed.
"There you go again."
"I'm serious." Ethan feigned seriousness
"You are never serious." Isabella reminded
"I am sometimes." Ethan said trying to keep a serious face
"Rarely." Isabella spoke
The smile remained on Ethan's face as he watched her laugh.
For a second, he forgot about the drinks.
Forgot about the road.
Forgot about everything else.
Then David returned.
"What are you two smiling about?"
Immediately, both of them looked away.
"Nothing," Isabella answered.
"Nothing," Ethan echoed.
David narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"I don't believe either of you."
The two exchanged a quick glance before bursting into laughter.
And once again, David found himself completely confused.
As they eventually headed home, Ethan sat quietly by the window.
His mind drifted back to Isabella thanking him.
Such a small thing.
Yet somehow it stayed with him.
And Isabella, sitting in the back seat, found herself replaying something else entirely.
The way Ethan had reacted during the near accident.
Without hesitation.
Without thinking about himself.
Just acting.
Just making sure everyone was safe.
Especially her.
Neither of them said a word about it.
- Writer
