The flashy BMW looked out of place parked behind the blue and white city bus. A few teens waiting at the bus stop began taking pictures of the car on their phones. Cole Hollister leaned toward his girlfriend, Lisa Cruz.
"Are you sure you don't want me to drive you home?"
She bristled at his question while rifling through her bag. He hadn't seen her with it before. It was shiny, black, too small to be practical, and had a long thin strap to go over her shoulder. It wasn't something Lisa would normally pick out for herself. Had it been a gift?
"Did I miss your birthday?" The question blurted out of his mouth, and he grimaced, turning his face away in shame.
She laughed. "What?"
Cole's hand tightened around the leather steering wheel. He turned back to her, his blue eyes meeting the brown eyes that always reminded him of warm honey. "Did I miss your birthday? Is that why you've been in such a pissy mood since yesterday?"
The corners of her mouth tightened. She removed an imaginary piece of lint from the oversized sweater she was wearing. "I'm not in a pissy mood. I have a lot on my mind."
"Like what?"
"You wouldn't understand," she muttered, zipping up her purse.
"Not if you don't tell me. I won't."
"It's not a big deal. I'll get over it."
He pressed a hand on her shoulder as she reached for the door handle.
"Is it because I drank last night? I told you the guys and I were celebrating. We landed a huge contract, and we got a little carried away. I forgot you were coming over. Alcohol is the devil." He placed his hand on her thigh. "Please don't be mad. I love you, Lisa."
She closed her eyes and huffed out a breath before turning back to him. "I'm not mad. I'm not. I just-I have a lot on my mind. Are you ever going to move out of your parent's house?"
He flinched and leaned back. "What? Where's that coming from?"
"N-nowhere, but you're twenty-five now, Cole. Shouldn't you be living on your own?" Lisa asked. "I mean, you and I hardly ever get any privacy."
"You never complained about this before. Besides, I have my own penthouse and a four-bedroom home in the country. I stay with my parents because they're my family. My uncle Eddie is the same way. He has his own estate, but he's always at our place. The mansion is huge. I stay in the pool house so I can come and go as I please without disturbing them."
She cleared her throat. "I know. I understand your family is close."
"Babe, what's bringing this on? Did something happen? Did my mom say something to you? She promised-"
Lisa shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I was just venting. I'm sorry. I'm in a bad mood and I'm taking it out on you, and I shouldn't do that."
"So, I really didn't miss your birthday? Or some sort of anniversary? Wait. Did we have an anniversary last night? Did I get drunk on an anniversary night? It's not our yearly anniversary. Is it a six-month anniversary? We can never let our future kids discover how I forgot an anniversary."
She was laughing again, her dark hair bouncing around her shoulders. Cole's hand slid down her thigh, lightly pressing against her knee. "I can take you home. You don't have to ride the bus. I know you don't like it."
"The bus is fine," she told him, but her tone belied the sentiment.
He gave her leg a light squeeze. "You hate the bus. It stinks. People cough without covering their mouths and I'm pretty sure perverted men ride the bus just waiting to feel you up."
"What?" She was laughing again.
"Let me take you home. Forget the bus," he insisted.
"No," she said, moving her leg so he had no choice but to remove his hand. "I want to take the bus today. Besides, you need to get to work. You better keep making those big business deals with Lance. He wouldn't want you to be late to the office."
"Lance is my best friend. He can wait." He grabbed her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers. "I love you."
Her smile fell slightly. "I love you too, Cole. Sometimes it scares me how much I care about you."
"Why would your feelings for me scare you?"
She lifted a shoulder, a corner of her mouth tilting upward. "It's like we're on a merry-go-round, spinning as fast as we can while we're wrapped up in our emotions. Any minute the ride is going to stop, and inertia will send us flying in opposite directions."
"That's quite poetic of you, Lisa Cruz. Totally depressing, but poetic."
She sighed. "It's an apt description."
"Babe, don't use words like apt. It makes me feel dumb."
She chuckled, lightly slapping his arm with the back of her hand. "Says the Ivy-league graduate who finished college early."
"You're forgetting something," he whispered.
"Oh? And what's that?" Lisa asked, stroking his dark hair.
"The merry-go-round has bars you can hold on to. You and I are going to hold on tight. So, when the ride stops turning and maybe our love isn't spinning at a hundred miles per hour, we'll still be holding on, enjoying the ride. Inertia can go fuck itself."
"Cole!"
He snickered. "What?"
"You're ridiculous," she muttered.
He leaned in for a kiss. She pecked his lips with hers before turning to open the door. "Don't be late for work," she ordered.
Cole watched his girlfriend of two years rush into the bus. He frowned at her appearance. He hadn't noticed until that moment, but her clothes were baggier than usual. Was she losing weight? Was she sick? Was that why she was in a bad mood? He watched her stand at the large rear window at the back of the bus.
He waved.
She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, causing him to laugh.
The bus jerked forward as it moved away from the curb. Cole turned on his signal light and began following the bus, his eyes on his girlfriend, who was typing something on her phone. The brake lights of the bus flashed as it stopped at an intersection.
Despite the late morning hour, traffic seemed busy. Cars were beginning to line up behind Cole. To his left, he could see an oil rig coming in their direction.
The light flashed green, and the bus made another hissing sound as the driver put the bus in gear to move forward. Cole's phone dinged. He ignored his phone, staring at his girlfriend.
She made an expression of impatience and pointed at her phone. He grinned before looking down at his phone's screen. Before he could process his girlfriend's text, a deep and thundering blare from the oil rig's vehicle tore through the air, followed by a large crash. Cole looked up to see the bus fishtail into traffic as the oil rig swerved, heading straight into a corner gas station.
"Lisa!" Cole unclipped his safety belt and pushed open his door. He screamed her name again, his voice drowned by the horrified shrieks of nearby pedestrians.
He ran a few steps forward before the power of an explosion propelled him into the air and head-first into the concrete street. Flames licked the sky as sirens wailed in the distance. Cole closed his eyes, Lisa's name on his lips and her last text to him in his thoughts.
I love you, let's break up.
The ring sat heavy in his pocket like a deadly grenade, ready to cause his life to implode. Was he making a mistake? Was he about to ruin his life? Technically, he and Vivienne Crawler had never gone on a date. They'd known one another since they were kids, but he'd never felt a flame of desire for her-not even a spark. And yet, he was preparing to propose to her.
He switched lanes, knowing the route to the restaurant his family frequented weekly. His mother, Barbara Hollister, convinced him to propose to Vivi.
"She'd be a great wife for you, Cole. Our families get along well with one another. She'd be an asset to the team," his mother explained. "Plus, she's beautiful. You'll give me beautiful grandbabies."
"Asset to the team," he muttered. This was a mistake.
His eyes glanced at his rearview mirror. An oil rig was behind him, flashing its lights before changing lanes. Cole tensed, his hands tightening around his steering wheel.
He exited the highway, taking the road leading to the restaurant. He could do this. It's not like he had any romantic prospects. Not since Lisa. Running towards an explosion hadn't been the smartest choice in Cole's life. It earned him a three-day coma. Her name was the first thing he said after waking up in the hospital.
His father looked at him and shook his head before telling Cole Lisa was dead.
Everyone on the bus was dead.
Miraculously, the oil rig driver was still alive. A grand jury met and refused to take him to trial. Faulty brakes let him get away with murder.
Cole stayed in the hospital for three weeks before being released. His family hovered over him for months, refusing to speak Lisa's name. Cole still hadn't gone to see her grave, but Lance, his best friend, assured Cole that Forget Me Nots were being left weekly for Lisa Cruz.
"I can't do this," Cole whispered to himself.
Cole pulled over at the side of the road, turning on his emergency lights. He'd been with women since Lisa. None of them mattered. He couldn't even remember their faces. He knew Vivi cared for him. She claimed to love him and had wanted to marry him since they were kids.
This wasn't fair to Vivi. Surely, she'd realize he didn't love her back. He cared for her like a sister. Could he even make love to her? He shuddered at the thought.
"Dammit," he hissed, leaning his forehead against his steering wheel. Why had he listened to his mother? Why had he picked up a ring?
Vivi was a friend. She deserved to find someone who was emotionally available to her. It's not like he needed children. He and Lisa planned on having kids with her honey-colored eyes.
His phone rang and Cole touched the screen in his Jeep to take the call.
"Where are you, mi amigo?" Lance's voice filled the cabin of Cole's vehicle.
"Trying to talk myself out of this," Cole answered. "Lance, why did you let me do this?"
Lance laughed. "Bud, I told you numerous times not to listen to your mother. She should just adopt Vivi if she wants her as a daughter."
"I tried," Cole whined. "She never left me alone about it."
"I know," Lance said softly. "Your mom is a bulldog. I don't understand how your dad puts up with her."
Cole didn't respond to that. "How do I escape this mess?"
"Do you want me to tell them you had some sort of emergency? I'm a great liar."
Cole smiled. "No, if I lie, it's just putting off the inevitable. I need my mom to give up on the idea of me marrying Vivi. It's just not going to happen."
"If you say so," Lance said, his voice clearly not believing him. "So, what's the plan? Are you coming over or not? Everyone's here, including Vivi's parents."
Cole cursed. "I'm on my way. I'm not marrying Vivi."
They disconnected the call and Cole took a deep breath, thinking of how he would let Vivi down easily. He didn't promise Vivi he would propose, but he had a hunch his mother told her a proposal was on the agenda this evening.
"Just give me a sign that I'm making the right decision," Cole whispered, his head tilted up as he closed his eyes.
A single ding filled the car, notifying him of an incoming message. Cole opened his eyes and glanced at his Jeep's touchscreen. It was from a number without an assigned contact. The number looked vaguely familiar. He touched the screen. Hs breath stuttered as he read the message.
I love you, let's break up.
NOTE FROM SHEHOPES:
Hello to anyone joining me for NANOWRIMO 2022! Thank you for making it this far. I am soooo excited for this story. It's my version of a Korean Drama...but it's not taking place in Korea. Ha! Still, it's going to have crazy plot twists like any good drama has. This is a story heavy in mystery but there is romance, suspense, and humor. I hope you stick around for the ride and good luck in solving this one--I have twist after plot twist planned! The goal is to reach 50k words before the end of November. Please wish me luck!