she saved him, he thought she broke his heart

CHAPTER 1: The Night She Pulled Me From Death- The rain in New York didn’t fall. It attacked. It was 12:13am when Mara Jasper locked the door to Grounds & Glory, the little coffee shop in Queens where she worked double shifts. Her feet were screaming. Her tips were $47 and some change. And she knew exactly what was waiting for her at home. A lecture from her stepmom Linda about "wasting money on bus fare." A comment from her stepsister Bianca same age, blonde, perfect about how Mara "chose" to work late instead of coming to brunch. And little Lila, her 5 years old step sister, probably asleep on the couch waiting for her. Mara was 17 and tired. Tired of being the "responsible one" in a house that treated her like a guest. Tired of watching Bianca post Hamptons trips paid for with her dad’s money, while Mara counted every dollar for Lila’s school supplies. She decided to cut through the Brooklyn Bridge to get home faster. Shortcut. Stupid. That’s when she heard it. Metal screaming. Tires. A crash. A black Maybach was upside down in the middle of the bridge, leaking fuel. Steam and rain everywhere. Mara didn’t think. She ran. She found him through the shattered passenger window. A man. Early 20s. Dark hair, sharp jaw, and a suit that probably cost more than her rent. Blood on his temple. Eyes half-open and unfocused. "Hey. Hey, can you hear me? Don’t you dare close your eyes on me." Her voice came out low and urgent, with the faint Irish lilt she got from her late mom. "Can you move your fingers for me?" He did. Barely. "Who" His voice was rough, like he’d been screaming. "I’m Mara. Mara Jasper. I work at St. Catherine’s part-time. I’m going to get you out, okay? Just stay with me." The door was jammed. She grabbed a rock from the side of the road and smashed the rest of the glass. It cut her palms. She didn’t care. She climbed halfway in, unbuckled him, and dragged him out. He was tall. Heavy. But she’d carried trays and coffee machines for 8 hours. She could do this. She pulled him away from the car and onto the wet sidewalk. Then she sat with him in the rain and pressed her coffee shop apron to his head wound. An ambulance was 9 minutes away. She spent all 9 minutes keeping him awake. "Stay with me, okay? What’s your name?" "Aurelius," he whispered. "Aurelius Vance." "Pretty name for a man bleeding on my apron," she said, and he actually huffed a laugh. It hurt him. "What do you do, Mara Jasper?" "I make coffee," she said. "And I’m apparently very bad at taking shortcuts." "You saved my life." "No," she said honestly, looking him in the eye. "You’re going to save yours. By staying awake." When the EMTs arrived, she gave her statement and left. Didn’t ask for his number. Didn’t take his last name. She had a 6am shift, and Linda would kill her if she was late again. She never expected to see him again.