Tidbits of Love

Let It Hurt-1

Let It Hurt

The driver’s side window was down, letting in the cool autumn breeze as Leo Shelton cruised along the blacktop. The two-lane road wove its way past farm fields and eventually through untouched, protected portions of forest and open prairie. With the trees dressed in their fall finery—leaves fiery red, blaze orange, and golden yellow—it made for quite the trip. One he should have been enjoying a hell of a lot more than he was, all things considered, but his mind was miles away.

A glance in the rearview mirror revealed the wicker basket on the backseat, the one in which he had carefully packed a picnic lunch. Well, it was a tad late for lunch; judging by where the sun sat in the sky, it would be more appropriate to call it dinner. When he’d put the meal together he had actually planned on heading out earlier, but a nagging voice of doubt kept back the courage he needed to leave the house. After a quick phone call with his sister, he gathered up his things and hit the road with a singular destination in mind.

And with each mile that fell away, his heart beat a little faster.

As he rounded a curve, a stray beam of sunlight shimmered off the gold band on his left ring finger. The sudden glint caught him off guard, his gaze straying from the road. He had just enough time to think how strange it was and all so new, this metal ring around his finger, the one that left him with such warmth when it was first put on and now brought forth a gut-wrenching ache that threatened to tear him apart inside. Someone laid on their horn. Leo looked up to see he had drifted into the oncoming lane. Swearing under his breath he gave the steering wheel a quick jerk and sent the nose of the sedan off in the other direction.

Somehow, it all went so very wrong.

Leo lost control of the car.

Tires screeched.

The basket in the back was jostled, spilling its contents across the seat and floor.

And again he saw the glimmer of gold as the car went off the side of the road.