"I'm heading home right now. I'll see you in a little bit."

"Okay, baby. Be safe. I love you!"

"I love you too," Brendon replied with a smile. He pulled the phone from his ear as he got into his car and put on his seatbelt.

Brendon started the engine and began driving home. He hummed along to whatever song was on the radio. It helped him stay patient with all the evening traffic. 

By the time he got onto the highway, the cars had lessened. He wasn't stuck pushing on his brake every couple seconds anymore. Glancing in the review mirror, he could see an Audi coming up fast. 

"Idiot," he grumbled. He didn't understand why cars would risk getting stopped by a cop just to shave three minutes off their driving time.

The Audi was swerving from lane to lane, effectively irritating other drivers. It didn't take long for the car to make its way beside Brendon. Peeking into the car, Brendon could see a teenager behind the wheel. He rolled his eyes and focused back on the road in front of him.

From his peripheral, he noticed the Audi moving closer behind the Nissan blocking him. The Nissan was going faster than Brendon, allowing a growing distance between them. When the Audi thought there was enough space for him to switch lanes, he cut Brendon off.

Brendon slammed on his brakes, barely avoiding any contact. The car behind him wasn't able to react as fast as Brendon. They tried swerving into the other lane, but still managed to hit the back of Brendon's car. 

At the speed Brendon was still going, the car began losing control from the impact. Brendon struggled to regain control, turning the wheel every which way and hoping the car wouldn't flip over. He managed to get the car stopped, only being perpendicular to the road, facing the median.

Brendon's hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. He focused on trying to steady his frantic breathing and shaking body. He saw the other driver doing the same thing from the other lane. He sighed in relief, seeing that they were okay. 

He took his hands off the wheel and ran them through his hair. He'd have to fix the back of the car now, but at least he's okay. He turned his head to see the Audi still speeding further down the road. The sound of a loud honk called for Brendon's attention from the driver's side of his car. Before he could turn to see what it was, everything went black.

All Brendon could hear was his labored breathing. Sweat slide from his brow, his heart was thumping against his chest and his hands ached from gripping the steering wheel too hard. The rest of his body was so numb, he wasn't even sure if it was still there.

He wished the darkness would go away. He repeated to himself. Calm down. Breathe. Everything's okay. He relaxed and slowly opened his eyes, not realizing they were closed, let alone how tight they were shut. 

He was still on the highway, only now parked to the side. He looked around and didn't see the other car that hit him. People were just driving by like normal. It wasn't as bright outside and there was barely any traffic. 

Brendon looked at the time on his radio. It had been a few hours since he left work. He tried understanding what was happening. How did that much time pass? What happened to the accident? Is the other person okay?

All those thoughts came to a stop when one thing flashed in his mind. Ryan. He'd be wondering where Brendon was. Brendon never took this long to get home. He started his car and drove carefully the rest of the way home.

He pulled into the driveway. His head still fuzzy from what just happened. He barely noticed Spencer's car parked out front. Weird. He rarely came over without telling him or Ryan ahead of time. Brendon walked up to the door and called out for Ryan once he was inside.

"Babe, I'm home! Sorry I took so long. You won't believe what happened. Or didn't happen?" Brendon added in confusion. The living room was empty, as was the kitchen. He checked their music room and didn't see Ryan in there.

"Yeah, I'm here right now." Brendon followed the voice. He found Spencer in the guest bedroom. "He's not doing too good, but can you blame him?" 

Brendon listened and decided to ask him about it later. Right now, he just wanted to see his love. He continued walking to his bedroom. As he went in, he saw Ryan curled into a ball on his side of the bed. 

"Babe, I'm home." All Brendon got in response were sniffles and cries. He rushed over and dropped to his knees in front of Ryan. The boy's eyes were red and puffy from crying. He body was shaking in sync with his cries. He had one of Brendon's shirts on and his pillow pulled against his chest.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Brendon asked softly. He reached up and stroked Ryan's tear stained cheek. The boy only cried harder from the contact. "Talk to me Ry. Why are you crying?" It pained Brendon to see his boy looking this broken.

"Hey bud," Brendon looked up to see Spencer coming into the room. "How you holding up?" Ryan shut his eyes tightly and seemed to curl into a tighter ball, clutching the pillow more.

"Spencer, what's going on? Why is Ryan crying?" Brendon stood up and walked closer to Spencer. The man went over and sat down in front of Ryan, right were Brendon just was. 

"It's gonna be okay," Spencer spoke softly as he ran his fingers through Ryan's hair.

"He w-was coming h-home," Ryan whispered through hiccups. 

"I know, Ry. I know," Spencer said smoothly.

"He was c-coming home," Ryan repeated in a softer voice. "He s-said he was coming ho-me."

Brendon's breathing quickened as he looked between the two. He had an idea what was going on, but didn't want to believe it. He shook his head in disbelief as he watched his fiancée grieving in front of him. 

His eyes watered as he crawled into the bed behind Ryan. Gently, he circled his arms around Ryan's waist, closing the gap between their bodies. He let out a shaky breath and kissed the back of Ryan's head. 

"I can still feel him." New tears spilled out of Ryan's eyes as Brendon held him tighter. Brendon shut his eyes as a numbing feeling crept over his body. 

Everything replayed in his head with more intensity. He heard the Audi speeding beside him. He felt the car losing control. The sound of tires screeching on the floor blared in his ear. He heard the pounding of his blood pulsing. The car horn sounded in his head, leaving everything buzzing. One last thing quieted all the other noises before everything disappeared around him.

"You were coming home..."