“How do you know my name?”
Whatever breath was in her lungs, it froze as time stopped.
If her heart could stop, Maddy knew that it would the moment those words sank in. Instead, the organ inside her chest chose to beat frantically as her body registered what Nate had said far quicker than it took for her brain to catch up. Or maybe this was what going into shock felt like.
“What?” she uttered softly.
Nate was frowning, his eyes scanning her face.
“Do we know each other? You look familiar.” He said before groaning again and rubbing his forehead. “I’m sorry I’m too banged up to focus.”
Maddy was saved from producing an answer that she didn’t have when they both surrendered to the careful and patient ministrations of the aid workers. Her glasses had only been knocked aside, miraculously intact and restored to her, and she was told that she only had some mild bruising and a few scrapes but no broken bones or a concussion. However, if she were to feel any persistent dizziness, she should head to the ER.
Maddy threw a glance over at Nate, who was sitting not far from her and was told pretty much the same things.
Apparently, they had been lucky since they had only been grazed and knocked over by the momentum of the moving vehicle, the car managing to stop just in time.
Maddy knew that she should feel relief, and she did.
But the image of Nate’s face as he’d looked at her as if she were a stranger, politely but distant, was burned in her mind.
A bitter, harsh laugh escaped her lips. What a cruel joke, to go through everything they did together only to end up here, like this.
If someone heard her, they’d probably think she’d lost it. But she couldn’t stop it. The bitterness was rising up like acid, burning her throat and still, she kept laughing quietly to herself. She was choking, and burning, and aching, and laughing so much that she hardly felt the tears that spilled over, tracking down her cheeks.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” she heard Nate ask from somewhere behind her.
Not bothering to dry her eyes, she turned and met Nate’s worried expression.
God, she was probably a mess.
But she couldn’t give a flying fuck.
Her lips pulled almost painfully into a smile as she said, “Yes, everything’s fine. I just have to get going.” She avoided his gaze, looking around to gather her stuff and get the fuck out of there. Her heart was breaking and she needed no witnesses.
She chanced one last look at Nate who was still looking at her strangely, his concern evident.
“Take care of yourself, Nate,” she said, not waiting for an answer, as she picked up her pieces and walked away.
And if she felt a set of eyes, intent on the back of her skull, she didn’t turn around to find out.
***
Maddy had the presence of mind to call work and inform them that she’d been in an accident and that she wouldn’t be able to make it in today. She also hoped that there hadn’t been anything else needed from her before she left the scene of the incident, though they could reach her through her personal information, if necessary.
She didn’t remember how she got back to her apartment, the whole way a blur of images, of sounds, of memories.
She’d always scoffed at how characters in movies and books would keep saying that they never remembered how they got somewhere. I mean, how is it possible to not remember?
Well, the joke was on her now.
The keys jingled as she opened her door, taking off her shoes haphazardly and dropping her bag right there at her feet, not caring where it landed. She felt as if she were on autopilot. She felt as if she’d lived an entire lifetime in a day. Maybe she had.
She felt emotion clogging her throat, threatening to overwhelm her but she pushed it back, violently. She would not have a breakdown in her doorway. She would pull it together, have a shower carefully to wash away all the grime she could feel on her as an ugly reminder, change into some clean clothes and she’d take it from there.
Taking a deep breath, she did just that.
***
