Chapter Nineteen. #4
Lightning radiates from my stomach into my chest at the words, making me feel light as air. I’m so unbelievably happy. So unbelievably happy he feels the same way I’ve been feeling toward him this whole time.
“I love you too, Ben.” I kiss him hard and nip his nose like he always does to me. But when I pull back, it’s to watery eyes and trembling lips.
“Why are you upset? What’s wrong, babe?” I say, running my fingers through his hair and down his cheek.
“I just—I was afraid I’d scare you off by telling you how I truly felt so soon.
But I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I needed you to know that I love you so much and so deeply that I am physically in pain when you’re not around.
I know we only got together like a week ago but the thought of losing you is unbearable.
I don’t know how I’d get through it. I can’t lose you, baby. Ever.”
I gently wipe away the tear that falls and kiss him, ever so softly.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that because I love you, Ben.
I love you so much that I don’t even know how to feel all the love I hold for you.
Like, the happiness that you give me is indescribable.
And you love me so well, Ben. I’m so lucky.
I can’t believe this all has happened, and I get to be with you. I can’t believe you’re mine.”
He parts my mouth with his tongue, kissing me with immense care to show the words he’s unable to express.
The kisses continue until he sets me down on a nearby blanket behind his motorcycle.
This time, he doesn’t rush making love to me, pressing his lips on every inch of my skin with whispers of “I love you” along the way.
We lay there completely naked in each other’s arms after we finish while he strokes his fingers through my hair and down my back, holding me so tightly it’s like he’s still scared I’m going to run away.
A chill breeze blows through the woods, sending shivers down my spine, making me remember we’re still naked and out in the open.
“Should we get dressed? I’m suddenly aware of how naked we are and what we’ve been doing practically in public.”
He kisses my forehead mid-chuckle. “Don’t worry. I’ve been coming out here for the last year and have never seen anyone. I even checked the land records which state its public property, so I don’t think anyone else knows about this place.”
“Oh. Well either way, I’m starting to get cold now that our sweat is drying. I probably need to put something on, even though I don’t want to so I can keep laying here naked with you.”
I stand and brush myself off before beginning to walk over to my dress that’s on the ground by his rear tire.
“Actually, hold up.”
He comes up next to me and pulls out my gear and helmet out of the two backpacks on the ground.
“But I drove my car…”
“We can pick it up tomorrow. I want to ride with you tonight. I want to feel you holding onto me as we ride the whole entire night if you’re up for it. I’m just so happy. I don’t want it to end.”
“That sounds amazing, but do you think my car will be alright here overnight?”
“Yeah, for sure. Like I said, it’s public property and there’s no posted signs so they technically can’t do anything about it by law.”
“Then hell yeah, baby. I’m in. Let’s do it.”
His smile’s electric, stirring those butterflies in my soul to new heights. Shoving my dress into one of the backpacks, I grab my gear from him and start the jumping motion to get the tight leather pants over my now extremely sticky skin.
“I swear I’m going to buy different ones. Especially if we stop for rendezvous more often. This is too much work to get pants on,” I pant, laughing.
“As much as I would love for you to ride with no pants on tonight and lay your claim on my seat, everyone else would be able to see far too much of you, I fear.”
“And it’d be unsafe?”
“Yeah, that too,” he chuckles.
After what seems like an eternity, I manage to pull the rest of my gear on. He reminds me of the signals for the ride, lifts me onto the bike and gets on in front of me. He sweetly gives me a helmet kiss with his helmet before helping me clip the straps together.
The familiar vibration in the seat and roar of the engine tremble through me as soon as it comes to life. I could stay here forever with him and forget the world, I swear.
“Wait, how are we getting back to the road? I had to climb through thickets to get in here,” I yell loudly over the engine.
“I made a trail over there for my bike that leads to the road,” he yells back, pointing to our left.
“You couldn’t have told me that when I parked so I didn’t have to trek through the wilderness when I got here?”
His only response is a hard laugh that makes his shoulders shake. I smack the top of his helmet in retaliation. I’ll get him later for that.
He kicks up the kickstand with his foot and we’re off.
We ride and ride until the stars shine brightly and the cars on the road are few and far between. After a few hours, we stop to get gas and decide it’s time to head home, shower and go to bed. Even though I have something else in mind besides sleeping as I’m sure he does too.
We hit the last intersection in town before his road, going through the green light. But out of nowhere, my body is jerked forward and the sound of scraping and loud plastic on the pavement screams in my ears before everything goes silent.
Beeps mixing with my mother’s voice echo in the distance. The panic in her tone is broken in between what sounds like sobs.
What the hell? Where am I?
With great effort, I pry open my eyes, triggering pain that shoots through my eyelids and temples.
“Ah.” I inhale sharply and grit my teeth. The room’s bright and blurry, but there’s an outline of my mother standing next to me.
“Oh, Charlotte, thank God. Thank God,” she sobs, kissing my hand and pressing it to her wet cheek.
“What’s going on?” I slur in a daze.
“You…You were in an accident.”
Someone places a cool rag over my eyes, bringing comfort and the stinging down.
“An accident?” I reply in confusion. What the hell is she talking about?
She doesn’t answer me, leaving a stark silence that my short painful breaths barely break through. After a few minutes, she removes the rag, bringing in a clearer picture. Her face is swollen from crying and furrowed brows and a painful smile greet me.
“Thanks. My eyesight was blurry for some reason, but I can see a little better now.”
“Yes, they said that would happen. They put some antibiotic gel on your eyes to help with the swelling and to prevent infection.”
“What happened?” I move to sit up and regret it immediately as sharp stabs riddle through my side and crack into the side of my skull.
“D-Don’t move, Charlotte. Stay still.”
“Why? Why am I in so much pain?” I rest back, tilting my head on the pillow to face her.
“Well, you have a couple of broken ribs, and some of the plastic vizor from the helmet was lodged into the skin on your face. Your left leg is also broken, but it’s not completely shattered. Otherwise, there’s nothing life-threatening, thank God.”
My reality sinks in, triggering a wave of panic.
“Where’s Ben?” I ask, full of dread.
She looks down and bites the inside of her cheek as a tear falls, wetting her skin further.
“Mom, where is he?” I shout before yielding to the severe ache in my rib.
With my arm bracing my side, I ask again, albeit quieter.
“Please tell me he’s okay. Mom. Please. Please…
” Tears flow down my cheeks, mounting the severe pain in my head and eyes from the tension.
A weight settles on my chest and dread wraps its cold embrace around me, taking what little air I can get away.
He has to be okay. I can’t live without him. I need him. This can’t be the end of our story. It’s just beginning. There’s so much love that hasn’t been shown or experienced yet. I need him to be okay.
My silent prayers repeat, begging God to spare him from whatever I’m about to hear.
“He’s alive…” she whispers quietly, still holding my hand.
“Oh, thank God,” I cry harder. “Thank you, God.”
My chest aches from all the pain and the agony of our situation, but a small amount of the weight lifts knowing he’s alive.
“But…he’s in an induced coma. It was necessary to prevent further brain damage. They were able to stop the internal bleeding but he’s going to have a long road to recovery, Charlotte.”
“I don’t understand. How is he in such bad shape and I’m not? How did this happen? No one was even on the road! I need to see him. Take me to him. Right now.”
I will my body to move, flinging the covers off and ignoring the splint on my leg and the pain that’s so blinding it’s about to make me pass out.
“Charlotte, you need to stay in bed! Please lay back down.”
“Tell me what happened!” I yell at her, my ears now ringing loudly.
She sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Only if you lay back and calm down.”
Begrudgingly, I listen. I hiss through my teeth as I extend back to the pillow, keeping my splint leg bent over the edge in defiance.
“When you were found, he was covering you. They believe he pulled you up toward him in the instant before impact and shielded you by wrapping himself around you.”
“Shielded me from what!” My ribs, back and chest burn from my cries, but I don’t know what else to do with this mental and physical anguish, but scream. This can’t be real.
“A car ran a red light and hit you.”
“What the fuck? There was barely anyone on the road. Where did they even come from? I swear, I’m going to make that person pay.
Did they catch them? Are they in custody?
I can’t believe someone would be that ignorant.
” I pause for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation we’re in and calm down before I start hyperventilating.
“Take me to Ben, mom. I need to see him,” I plead.
“You cannot move yet. I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to wait. You have to focus on your healing right now.”