Autumn Leaves (Watty Awards 2013)(Editing)

Chapter 1

"I had such a great time with you tonight, Mark. I still can't believe you got us those tickets, you're the best boyfriend a girl could ask for, you know that?" Nicki said as she gave him a peck on the lips. He flashed her that toothy smile of his, the one that made her weak in the knees.

"Only for the best girlfriend a guy could ask for. I'm glad you had a good time. What a freaking game!" He slung an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to place a gentle kiss on her head.

They walked hand in hand through the parking lot of the TD Garden, filled with excited families and rowdy drunks of all ages. Mark pushed through the crowd, pulling her along like a rag doll when he saw the opportunity to make a beeline for his blue 1996 Honda Civic, which was in serious danger of falling apart every time he drove it.

Nicki dragged a finger along the chipping paint, briefly appreciating her boyfriend’s simplicity. Someday, when they were looking for a house, he would be so easy to please. She threw one last glance at him, drinking in his dark brown eyes and matching hair. Someday, she hoped to ruffle the same hair on a miniature version of themselves, to stare into the same eyes as she tucked in a child at night.

Once she ducked into the passenger seat, she earned a loving gaze from Mark. "Buckle up now, okay? You're precious cargo," he said, giving her hand a squeeze before he started the car. He never wore his seatbelt; he claimed to feel freer with it off.

As they waited in line of break lights and beeping horns, Nicki reached for the radio controls and switched it on. A mainstream, synthetic song began to blast through his crackling speakers, causing a look of distaste to creep onto her face.

"What bullshit," she snared, shoving her iPhone into the auxiliary plug. She scrolled through her unnecessarily large song selection, and her lips spread into a smile as she settled on one.

“And I’d give up forever to touch you, cause I know that you feel me somehow.

You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be and I don’t want to go home right now.”

Watching as the love of her life’s expression softened and melted, Nicki felt complete. Whenever either of them heard their song, there was a moment of quiet contemplation. She always used it to look back on the incredible times they’d had together, all of the firsts they shared and the excitement of falling in love. But she couldn’t overlook their promising future. If he asked her to marry her that very night, she would have said yes in a single breath.

"I love you, Nicki. To the ends of the earth and back."

"I love you too,” she answered, right before she started to sing along with the music that filled both her head and her heart. She knew every word and every note, emulating them perfectly in her smooth, deep voice. Mark always loved it when she sang, and a part of her wondered if that was what got him to fall in love with her in the first place.

When the song ended, her singing ceased and she dropped her head to the dirty window, gazing out at Boston, lit up and alive, even though it was nearly midnight. Slowly, as the traffic picked up, the radiant skyline faded into darkness. A sigh escaped her lips. She wasn’t ready for the night to end. It had been too perfect, so perfect that she would have been content living it forever.

Nauseating yellow lights flickered in front of her closed lids, and Nicki opened her eyes just in time to see her life flash before them.

"Oh my God! Mark, look out!" she screamed as panic took over her entire body. A car had rammed through the barrier in the tunnel and was lunging directly towards them. For a minute, everything moved in slow motion. Nicki had time to scan her surroundings, noting the shiny red SUV and the terrified faces of the women in the front seats.