Chapter Three
1473 Words
It started raining right after the sun went down. Lena had just finished her job. Quickly went to the bookstore to get a book. The air smelled like pavement and distant thunder. She checked her phone. It was 6:12 p.m. Ethan was late again.
Lena put her phone back in her pocket. She grabbed her umbrella. Stepped out of the bookstore to go to the bus stop across the street. Cars were moving steadily through the intersection, their headlights shining through the growing rain. By the time she got to the bus station, the light rain had turned into something heavier. Raindrops were tapping against the metal roof above her. Lena leaned against the cold glass wall. Took out her phone again; she called Ethan's number. His phone rang twice. Then Ethan answered.
“Hey, baby, " he said.
Lena felt a little better.
“Where are you?" she asked him.
“I am in the car," he said.
“I know you are in the car, but where are you exactly?" she asked again.
Ethan laughed softly.
“I am driving to you," he said.
“You are late, " Lena said.
“I know I am late," Ethan said.
“You said you would be here at six, " Lena reminded him.
“And now it is twelve minutes past six, " Ethan said.
“That is still late, " Lena said.
The windshield wipers on Ethan's car were squeaking faintly through the speaker as they moved back and forth. The rain was hammering harder against the bus stop where Lena was standing.
“Was it traffic?" Lena asked.
“Something like that, " Ethan said.
Lena rolled her eyes even though Ethan could not see her.
“You always have an excuse," she said.
“I prefer to call it an explanation," Ethan said.
“You prefer being annoying, " Lena said.
“That is also true," Ethan said.
Lena watched the rain streak down the glass in crooked lines.
“Please drive carefully," she said to Ethan.
“I am driving carefully," Ethan said.
“That is what you said the time, " Lena said.
“And nothing happened," Ethan said.
Thunder was rolling softly in the distance. The storm was getting closer. At the end of the line, Ethan slowed his car as he approached an intersection. The red brake lights of the car in front of him glowed through the rain.
“Do not worry, I will be there in five minutes," Ethan said.
“You said that ten minutes ago, " Lena said.
“This time, I mean it, " Ethan said.
Lena smiled faintly.
“ Of course you do," she said.
A loud engine roared somewhere behind Ethan's car. The sound carried through the phone.
“What was that?" Lena asked.
“ A truck, " Ethan replied.
The rain was pounding harder against his windshield now. The wipers were struggling to keep up, dragging water aside in arcs. Streetlights were blurring into glowing halos through the glass.
“I know you hate storms," Ethan said.
“I do not hate them, " Lena said.
“You literally run through the rain like it is poisonous," Ethan said.
“It ruins my hair, " Lena said.
“Very important," Ethan said.
“Extremely," Lena said.
Lena shifted her weight. Leaned her head lightly against the cool glass wall of the shelter. Cars were rushing past on the street nearby, splashing through puddles.
“I had the feeling today," she said suddenly.
“What kind of feeling?" Ethan asked.
“I do not know, " Lena said.
Ethan slowed again as traffic thickened.
“Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
“It felt like something was going to happen, " Lena said.
“Good or bad?" Ethan asked.
“I do not know, " Lena admitted quietly.
Thunder cracked louder this time, and the rain was falling harder.
“You worry too much," Ethan said gently.
“Someone has to, " Lena said.
“Nothing is going to happen," Ethan said.
“You do not know that, " Lena said.
“I know enough," Ethan said.
A car horn blared ahead.
Ethan frowned slightly, looking toward the intersection. Traffic had started moving, so he pressed the gas lightly.
“I am turning onto Maple Street now," he said.
“That means you are close, " Lena said.
“Three minutes," Ethan said.
“Five," Lena said.
“Three," Ethan said.
Lena smiled.
“We will see," she said.
The rain continued pouring down, thick and relentless. Lightning flashed briefly across the sky. For a moment, the entire street lit up in a white glow. Then darkness returned.
“Wow," Ethan murmured.
“What?" Lena asked.
“That lightning was huge, " Ethan said.
“Please drive carefully, " Lena said.
“I am safe," Ethan said.
“Still," Lena said.
Lena glanced down at the street stretching beyond the bus stop.
Something restless twisted inside her again.
That strange feeling from earlier.
The one she could not explain.
“You are quiet," Ethan said.
“I am thinking, " Lena said.
“That is dangerous," Ethan said.
She laughed softly.
“I am serious, " Lena said.
“So am I, " Ethan said.
His voice sounded warm through the phone.
“Hey," he said gently.
“Yes?" Lena asked.
“You know I love you, right?" Ethan said.
Lena was caught off guard by his words.
“You are being weird tonight," she said.
“Answer," Ethan said.
“Yes," Lena said quietly. "I know.”
“Good! And I am going to spend the rest of my life with you, " Ethan said.
Lena smiled.
“I know, Ethan, just drive carefully and get here," she said.
A bright pair of headlights suddenly appeared in Ethan’s rearview mirror.
They were moving fast.
Too fast.
Ethan frowned slightly.
“What is that guy doing?" he muttered.
“What?" Lena asked.
“Nothing," Ethan said.
The headlights behind him grew closer.
The vehicle swerved slightly between lanes.
Rain blurred the road ahead.
“Some i***t is speeding behind me," Ethan said.
“Let them pass," Lena said.
“I am trying, " Ethan said.
The truck roared closer.
Its horn blasted loudly.
The sound exploded through the phone.
Lena flinched.
“What was that?" she asked.
“A truck, " Ethan replied, though his voice sounded tense now.
The truck swung suddenly into the lane beside him.
Its headlights flared bright against the rain.
For a moment, it looked like it might pass.
The road ahead curved sharply.
The truck lost control.
Everything happened fast.
The truck skidded sideways across the road.
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“Whoa—”
The steering wheel jerked violently in his hands.
Tires screamed against asphalt.
“Ethan?" Lena said.
Metal slammed against metal.
The crash erupted like thunder.
Glass shattered.
The phone line filled with the roar of twisting steel.
Lena’s heart stopped.
“Ethan! Are you there?" she asked.
The sound of the collision echoed through the speaker.
Then silence.
Just static.
Lena’s breath came in uneven bursts.
“Ethan?" she asked again. There was no answer, only the sound of the rain.
“Ethan!" she cried out.
Her voice cracked.
Through the speaker came faint shouting.
Strangers.
Someone shouting.
“Oh my God—Help!!!”
“Call an ambulance!”
“Is he breathing?”
Lena’s hands began to shake
Her phone nearly slipped from her fingers.
“Hello?" she cried. "Ethan? Can you hear me?”
A different voice picked up the phone.
“Hello?" the voice said.
Lena froze.
“Please, what is going on?" she asked.
“He was in the car," the stranger said breathlessly.
“Is he okay?" Lena asked.
The man paused.
Rain pounded loudly in the background.
“I do not know," he said.
Panic rushed through Lena’s chest.
“What do you mean you do not know?!" she asked.
“There was a crash, " the man said quickly. "A truck lost control and hit his car.”
Lena’s knees went weak.
The world around her blurred.
“I am his girlfriend," she whispered.
More voices shouted nearby.
Sirens wailed faintly in the distance.
“You should come to the hospital," the stranger said.
The call ended.
Lena stood frozen in the bus shelter.
Rain hammered against the roof.
Cars continued moving
The world moved forward as if nothing had changed. Inside Lena’s chest, something fragile had already begun to break. She quickly got on a bus. Went to the hospital. Ethan's body was lying lifeless by the time she arrived. Lena could not believe Ethan was dead. She kept waiting as if some miracle would happen. Waiting for Ethan to say her name. It never did.
- Writer
