To Love You

1:{Accidental Meeting}

Clank!

The sound of the can hitting the ground echoed in the empty streets that were barely lit. A lone figure can be seen kicking the can as they walk. The figure was wearing a thick long coat to shield herself from the cold temperature of the night.

Suddenly, the figure stopped underneath a streetlight and her features became clear. Her hair was the color of the night, her eyes were swollen and red, and her lips were pale from the cold. Mist came out of her mouth as she let out a quiet sigh.

She looked up at the sky and disappointment flooded her eyes when she noticed that dark clouds were looming instead of a beautiful starry night. “Why is the sky matching my emotions now at all times?” She said as she let out another sigh.

“Love. Stupid love. I can’t believe I let myself fall for that… that… Argh!” She exclaimed with slight anger in her tone, but she found it hard to find words to describe the person in her mind. In her frustration, she decided to just continue kicking the poor can as if she were directing her anger at it. She continued with this action even while she was crossing the street.

Being too caught up in her own emotions, she had forgotten that she was crossing a street and forgot to pay attention to her surroundings. “WATCH OUT!” That was what she heard, and before she could even look up to see who had yelled, she was roughly tackled to the ground. She yelped and the person who tackled her groaned as they both hit the concrete road.

The car that had almost hit her immediately stopped, and the windows rolled down. A man who seemed to be drunk popped his head out and angrily shouted, “Watch where you’re going you b*tch!” He spat on the concrete road and drove off, leaving the two slumped but thankfully conscious, bodies on the cold ground.

She watched as the car speedily took off, and she let out a shaky breath. “Are you okay?” She heard a voice ask as she felt him tap her on her shoulder. She robotically turned her head towards the person and stared at him without any shame.

“Hello?” This time the man’s voice was laced with so much worry, “Did she perhaps hit her head? Maybe I should bring her to the hospital for treatment,” he said to himself. But as he wrapped his arms under her knees to carry her, the girl suddenly sprung up and dusted herself, which left him in utter disbelief.

“I’m sorry for rudely staring at you. I was just shocked and, well, thank you for saving me back there. If it weren’t for you, I might have ended up like that can.” She said in the calmest voice she could muster. Both of them looked at the poor flattened can in unison.

The man chuckled at her remark, “Well, I couldn’t just watch you get flattened, can I?” He jokingly asked.

The girl smiled, “Again, thank you. Is there anything I can do to repay you?” She caught sight of his smirk and hurriedly continued, “As long as it is within my limits.” Seeing her reaction made the man chuckle again, which made her eyes slightly twitch from annoyance.

“I was scared you would just run off without acknowledging my help.” His laugh turned her feeling of gratefulness into one of annoyance. She couldn’t understand why this man’s laugh just struck a chord within her.

“What is it?” She asked. The guy coughed to stop himself from laughing and turned his thumb to point at the other road’s lane. “In fact, can you help me call someone to bring my bike to a nearby shop, please? My phone’s out of battery and I can’t get home with her like that.”

She looked over and grimaced at what the man was pointing at, and she saw a motorbike. Specifically, a busted one. The motorbike was lying on its left side on the concrete road, the side mirror was busted, the headlights were cracked, and the sides of the bike for sure had scratches on them. Seeing the state of the bike, which she assumed was because of him saving her from an accident, the bike became like that. She took out her phone without hesitation. She turned her phone on and froze but acted like nothing happened.

However, someone with a keen eye was able to catch the split-second reaction from her, but he did not pry further.

A couple more minutes went by after the call and a black corporate car suddenly pulled over, the car door opened, and a beautiful woman walked out of the driver’s seat. She was wearing a business suit but with her aura and charm, it had become more than a business suit. She was like a goddess that was sent down from heaven to save both of them.

“What did I tell you about the importance of driving safely? Now look at what happened now.” She reprimanded the man calmly. The woman then shifted her gaze to the girl wearing a long coat, “And who might you be?”

Her tone did not feel threatening, but she could not help but cower at the woman’s scrutinizing gaze. The man beside her felt her turning uncomfortable, so he quickly spoke up. “She helped me. My phone died, and she kindly lent me her phone to call you.” The man said sheepishly.

The woman sighed and turned to look at her again, “Thank you so much, and sorry for having to deal with my brother.” She said and flashed a sweet smile at her before turning around.

She felt relieved after hearing what the woman said and turned to look at the man next to her. She jumped back in surprise when she noticed that he was already looking at her. “What?” She asked.

“That was my older sister.” He said out of nowhere. Hearing him say that made her raise her eyebrows a little.

“Yes, and?” She asked genuinely, to which the man responded with a shrug. She was about to ask how they were to bring the motorbike home using the car his sister came with but was stopped when she noticed that the bike was already mounted on another car that she had not noticed the first time.

The man got in the car his sister was driving and the woman with the long coat took that as a cue for her to leave. But before he could completely turn around, the man called out to her. “Hey! Where are you going? Get inside, hurry!”

She was about to decline his invitation, but then she saw the woman usher for her to get inside, and she couldn’t utter a word to decline.

“Where are you headed to? We’ll drop you off there, it’s not safe for a lady to be walking around this dead of night.” The woman stated as she looked at the girl through the mirror. “Yep, and the rain’s about to pour.” The man voiced out as he looked out the window.

The girl softly smiled as she heard both of their concerns. “Thank you. I’m from 6th Avenue, so you won’t have to drive too far.” The woman nodded and started her engine to drive her to her destination.

“Even if it’s 1,000 kilometers away, we will still insist on driving you home,” the man exclaimed. His sister just glanced at him, seemingly unimpressed by his joke. The two began to bicker, making the car ride less awkward for the girl sitting in the backseat because the attention wasn’t directed at her. The woman did not seem to be the type to act like such, but people are mostly wrong with their first impressions and hers wasn’t an exemption. ‘Besides, most siblings act just like the both of them now.’

Seeing them bicker made her feel melancholy. She sat back and leaned her head against the car window. Looking out as they passed by lights and buildings. Rain slowly drizzled down on them and she noticed how people ran for shelter. Some ran with friends, some bought their own umbrellas, and some ran alone. Tonight, however, she realized she wasn’t alone. She was warm, and she felt safe together with the two bickering siblings who were kind enough to go out of their way to drive her home. She was thankful that at least, for once, something good happened tonight.