Breathless

The Silence

When I woke up the next morning, Brian had his arm wrapped around my waist. I could feel his chest rise and fall softly against my back, his breath stirring my hair and tickling my face. I carefully turned over to look at him, savoring the sight of the rising sun lighting up the flecks of gray in his hair. His face was relaxed and a small grin danced across his lips, and it showed that whatever he was dreaming of, it was very pleasant. I checked the time and realized I should probably get ready to start the day, but when I tried to slip out of his arms, he let out a grunt of disapproval and tightened his grip around me. I couldn't help but smile groggily at him, running my hand gently down his face before freeing myself of his grip and making my way to the bathroom. Once I shut the door behind me, I began to regret my decision to leave my bed. The cool air against my bare skin made me shiver, and even with the promise of a hot shower, I craved the warmth of my sheets.

I stepped into the shower and sighed contently as the hot water slipped over my body, warming my chilled skin. I tilted my head back and let the water soak my hair, leaving it plastered to my head. I ran my fingers through it, combing out the knots before grabbing for the shampoo. Once I had rinsed all of the shampoo and conditioner out, and had thoroughly scrubbed myself clean, I shut the water off, with more than a little regret, and stepped out of the shower. I grabbed a separate, smaller towel for my hair, and returned to my bedroom, seeing that Brian was just waking up.

"Rise and shine, babe," I greeted, heading over to my dresser to search for clothes.

"G'mornin'," He breathed, sitting up and covering his eyes from the now harsh sunlight that filtered through the window.

"I assume you slept well?" I asked, feeling his gaze rest on me as I dropped my towel to get dressed. I felt my skin heat up as he watched me, a sudden sense of self-consciousness as his eyes devoured every part of me.

He took a moment to respond, grinning as he did so. "I would've slept better had you stayed in bed," He complained, swinging his legs over the side of the bed as he did so.

"Sorry, babe," I started, sifting through my drawers to find the pants I was looking for. I was sure they were clean, I remembered putting them away just yesterday. I mumbled darkly to myself, cursing my disappearing pants as I went to my closet to see if I had misplaced them. I turned back to see Brian giggling as he held something behind his back, and assuming it was my pants, I stormed over and stood in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest. I tried to look angry, but it's kind of difficult to pull off that façade when you're in standing in leopard print panties.

"Hand 'em over," I said, holding one hand out in front of me. He tried to act confused, asking what I was talking about. "My pants," I told him, narrowing my eyes in mock frustration as he continued to play dumb.

"What pants?" He asked, raising his eyebrows to emphasize that he had no clue what I was talking about.

I groaned, tossing myself onto the bed to try and grab them from behind his back. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him, flipping over and pinning me onto the bed.

"What's the magic word?" He asked, dangling my pants in front of my face as he straddled me.

Oh come on, I'm going to be late! I thought, trying to wriggle out from underneath him. "Please?" I asked sweetly, giving him the same puppy dog look that he would always give me. He chuckled, handing me my pants and planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Now hurry up, I'll drive you to work," He said, already getting up to put his clothes back on. I smiled stupidly, watching as he stumbled around trying to put his jeans on, only to crack up as he fell flat on his ass with an audible oof!

"Are you okay?" I gasped between fits of laughter, doubling over and grabbing at my stomach as I started to calm down. He looked up at me like a pet you accidentally kicked, and I suddenly felt a little bad for laughing at him. I knelt beside him, resting my hand on his shoulder and looking carefully at him. "You're not too hurt, are you?" I asked softly, knitting my eyebrows together in concern.

"I'm fine, babe," He smiled, kissing my nose as he got up and finished dressing. I followed him out the door as soon as I had gotten my clothes on, jogging down the stairs behind him. He stopped suddenly a few steps from the bottom, startling me. I tripped on my foot and fell into him, grabbing onto his shoulders for balance. This seemed to be his goal as he reached behind and grabbed my legs, wrapping them around his waist as he hopped down the last few steps, dancing erratically into the kitchen and setting me down on the island.

"What will my fine lady be having for breakfast?" He asked loudly, more than likely forgetting that it was still fairly early and other people in the houses near us probably wanted to sleep. Despite that, I giggled, watching him prepare what he considered a "fine meal", consisting of cereal, fruit, and a muffin. Though it wasn't much, the gesture was sweet and I loved him even more for it. He made a similar breakfast for himself and sat down at the island next to me, tearing a piece off of his muffin and tossing it into his mouth.

"Are you going to stop in while I'm at work today?" I asked, setting my dishes in the sink before turning to look back at him.

He nodded vigorously, and through a mouth full of food, said: "Of course, I'll bring lunch." He nearly choked while speaking, and I warned him not to talk with his mouth full.

"That's your second accident this morning, and it's not even noon!" I joked, walking back to the island and rubbing his back as he went into a coughing fit. "Are you gonna survive?" I asked, eyeing him cautiously. He nodded, rubbing his throat as he sat upright again.

We finished breakfast and made our way outside to Brian's car. There was a fresh layer of snow on the ground, casting everything in a silvery light. I smiled as I looked around, enjoying the winter wonderland feel before I got into the car. Brian got in a moment later, starting the car and cranking the heat. I began to thaw out from my few minutes in the snow, content with just enjoying it from the warmth of the car.

Brian drove slowly down the roads, which still haven't been cleared of last night's snowfall. We listened to the radio, which was reporting the numerous crashes that had occurred all over the state. I had a terrible fear of being hit while driving, and though I was more at ease behind the wheel during the other three seasons, winter was an entirely different beast.

The snow was starting to grow thick, and we could barely see what was in front of us. I grabbed Brian's arm, digging my nails into his heavy coat. "Be careful, okay?" I asked, my voice scared and timid. He nodded, not taking his eyes off of the road as he continued to drive the car through snow and ice. I had no idea where we were, I had no idea how close we were to the tattoo shop, and I wasn't even sure if we would make it in time.

I bit my lip nervously, watching the world around us with wide eyes, searching for some sort of landmark to tell me where we were.

I don't remember the truck coming toward us, I don't even remember hearing it's tires screech on the ice as it desperately tried to stop. I remember the earsplitting crash of metal on metal, the pain that screamed through my side, and the feeling of glass cutting across my skin. I remember screaming for Brian, reaching out for him, desperately trying to see if he was okay. I remember the noise. I remember the silence.

I opened my eyes, though the moment I did, I wanted to shut them again. I looked around me, what had happened? Someone crashed into us, and we were still in the car. I could hear the sirens all around us, though they felt miles away, lost in the snow like we were. I felt the snowflakes kiss against my skin and tickle my cheeks. I saw Brian, laying on his side, cradling his head. He didn't seem too hurt, except that his nose was now a waterfall of blood. I couldn't tell if he was conscious or not, but I was slightly relieved to know that he was okay, but was I? My whole body was numb. I tried to wiggle my fingers, but my body refused to obey, and as I fought to stay awake, I slipped closer and closer into the silence.

It was dark.

I was cold.

I was alone.

Brian...