Remember Me.

01

Ellen's POV
Chris and I walk out of the house, all the while, keeping a distance between each other. Things have been rough between us. I thought that since things would get better since Patrick is off of the show but if anything, they've gotten worse.
We sit in silence for the entire ride to the race track. He occasionally looks at me as if to say something but closes his mouth and turns back to the road.
"So why are we going to the race again?" I ask, filling the silence.
"My buddy, Jason, is racing and he asked me to come watch." he says quietly. I nod and look ahead. We decided to go together to the race to try to mend whatever had been broken in our relationship. I don't remember when our relationship began to change. We used to be so in love. We used to be best friends. Now, it's an effort to find things to talk about.
The car stops and we get out. We walk into the stadium and he buys the tickets.
"I'm going to go to the bathroom." I tell him. He nods and hands me my ticket. I place it in my purse and find my way to the bathroom. I find a small building to the side of the stadium and walk toward it.
I step inside and already feel like I'm not supposed to be here. I turn down a long hallway and find a bathroom. I walk inside and do my business before stepping out.
"Oh. Sorry." I say as I run into someone. I look up and see the most beautiful blue eyes. Blue eyes that I never thought I would look at again.
"Ellen." he whispers, his hands still on my arms.
"Patrick." I whisper back. He smiles at me and I return it involuntarily.
"Can..can we talk?" he asks. I nod and let him lead me down a hallway and into an empty room. He closes the door behind me and turns to look at me.
"Ellen. What..what happened between us?"
"You know what happened." I tell him.
"I know that you walked in on me and Casey but I also know that you didn't give me the chance to explain-"
"I don't need details Patrick. I get it, okay?"
"But you don't! I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. You walked in on her kissing me." I look at him with shock.
"I promise you, Ellen. I never meant to hurt you. Okay? I never meant to hurt anybody." I nod, believing him.
"I'm sorry." I whisper. He smiles and leans in halfway to hug me before second guessing himself and pulling away.
I giggle and pull him into a tight hug. I breathe in his familiar scent, letting it soak into my body and calm my nerves.
Eventually, we pull away from each other and stand in silence, taking in each other's presence.
"Are we..friends again?" he asks.
"Yes." I say giggling. "Friends."
He smiles and grabs my hand. We walk out of the building and once outside, we let go of each other.
"Are you racing?" I ask. He nods and my heart rate speeds up.
"You'll be alright though? Safe? I mean I know it's dangerous-"
"I'll be fine, El." he says smiling. I nod.
"I'll see you after." he says. He gives me his new number.
"Bye Patrick Dempsey." I say smiling.
"Bye Ellen Pompeo." He walks away and I watch, my heart still beating out of my chest. Being around him brought back all of the memories and feelings that I had so carefully buried inside.
I walk back to the stadium and to my seat. We sit close to the track, one row up from the main floor. A door that leads to the track is a few meters away. Chris looks up from his phone when I sit to look at me.
"What took so long?" he asks.
"Long line." I lie. He nods and goes back to his phone. I look closely at each racer, trying to find Patrick.
"Who are you looking for?" he asks.
"Your friend. Where is he?" I ask, lying again. He begins to look around as well.
My eyes stop when they skim across his car. Number 77. Patrick Dempsey. I find him standing in his uniform by his car. The tight clothing outlining his new muscular figure very well.
I bite my lip and stare at him. I see his eyes roaming the stadium, skimming over me multiple times before finally noticing me. He waves and I wave back smally, so Chris doesn't notice.
The race begins and I watch with anticipation as Patrick's car waits at the start line. A young woman waves a flag, signaling the cars to go. They take off, Patrick quickly gaining the lead. An orange car follows closely behind him.
"In the lead, we have number 77, Patrick Dempsey, followed by-" I tune out the announcer, focusing on Patrick's car.
"Dempsey? Did you know he was here?" Chris asks.
"He is?" I ask, playing dumb.
"Yeah. They just said his name over the announcements. Were you not listening?" he asks. I shrug.
"I don't really care for these things."
I watch his car zoom around the track. The orange car cuts the corner closely, placing himself in between the track and Patrick. The car swerves off the track and then over corrects. The orange car hits the back of Patrick's. I hear the squeal of tires and the loud boom of the top of Patrick's car hitting the asphalt.