Exactly a year ago Lindsey and I started dating. I remember our first encounters so vividly. It all started on field day. She pulled her shirt off in front of all the students and teachers and asked me to come play with her. It was her boldness. Her audacity that I fell in love with. We bonded over food too. The bowl of beef noodles that I cooked impressed her so much. By this point we had perfected the recipe.  And then there was Halloween. Oh Halloween. I never thought that shower sex could be real and yet there we were. The patter of the water and her fingers deep inside me was absolute bliss. I still laugh at how her finishing was kind of an accident. And then there was the time I almost died just because I couldn't bear to lose her.

I was getting ready for our anniversary date. We saved up the money to go to a fancy Japanese restaurant downtown as a homage to our beef noodles. I opened up the door to my closet and looked around. Normally my thought process is to go with what I normally wear. A natural look. However, such a mindset would not match todays occasion. I pulled out a white button up that I hardly ever wore, but kept it just in case. The closest I could get to a blazer was a black leather jacket. I paired it with black dress pants and a brown belt. I went up to my mirror and touched myself up. Despite my refusal Lindsey insisted on teaching me the basics of makeup, so I could at least do a decent natural look. To top of my attire I spritzed on my Tommy Hilfiger perfume and sat in the living room to wait. 

On my way, baby :)

This was about 5 minutes ago so Lindsey should be here in about 7-10 minutes. Realizing I didn't know what I was going to order I looked up the restaurant and browsed the menu. Sushi was always a must, but they came in really big sets. Maybe I'll share with her. Next I looked at the most important part, the ramen. I've never had truly authentic noodles, so I was quite excited. I checked the time. Our reservation was scheduled for around 20 minutes from now. I put my phone down, order in mind and sighed. Lindsey was supposed to be here by now. Maybe she got caught in some traffic? It is dinner hour after all. I popped some headphones in and texted her. 

Hey ma'am
Running a little late aren't you

Would she respond? She was probably still driving. I should just be patient. 

. . .

I was getting really worried. I checked the time and 30 minutes had passed. I snatched my phone and called Lindsey. 

Once. Twice. Thrice.

No answer at all. I felt tears welling up. She wouldn't skip out on our anniversary would she? She isn't out cheating is she? No. I mentally slapped myself. She loves me with her heart and I know she does. But there wasn't a thing in the world that could be holding her for this long. Outside I heard the blaring sirens of an ambulance. I thought nothing of it. Until there were police and one more to go with it. I looked outside the window and they had all gathered quite a few blocks down. Maybe this is why she's being held up. They probably closed the area. I turned on the TV to see if it was being broadcast on the news. Sure enough it was. Just a few ways away was a car accident. The news caster zoomed in on the vehicles involved. My heart sunk to my stomach. I could recognize that car anywhere.

I dropped the remote and ran out to the crash site barefoot. The officials tried to stop me, but I forced them off of me and ran towards the car. It was totaled. It took a hard t-bone into the drivers side. I tried getting closer, but paramedics with a stretcher pushed me out of the way.

"Miss you can't be here," one of them said.

Anger welled up inside me, "Of course I can be here! That's my damn girlfriend!"

They pried open the demolished door and dragged Lindsey out of the driver's side. I ran over to her once she was safely on the stretcher. Her nose was bleeding and there was a stream of blood coming out of her forehead. The tears finally released themselves. I cupped her face in my hand and wiped the blood off her nose. I sulked behind the paramedics and watched them haul Lindsey into the back of the ambulance.

"Ma'am, are you an important person to her," the paramedic inside the ambulance asked.

I nodded," Her girlfriend to be exact. Today is our anniversary."

"I'm sorry."

I entered the ambulance and my legs collapsed under me. I ran hard and fast. I'm no runner. That's Lindsey's job. I took her limp hand and held it tight. Stone cold. This cannot be true.  I wanted to lay on her chest the way she did when we cuddled many nights, but the paramedics wouldn't let me get that close. I rested her arm on her stomach. Pulling my knees up to my chest I sobbed. All the way to the hospital. Why couldn't it be me instead?