Help Me See Again

The Accident

"Today's the day I tell her." I coached myself as I styled my hair in the bathroom mirror. I smiled at my work, knowing that Erica liked it this way. Erica, I met her a couple years ago at a diner downtown and got Adam to hire her as an editor. I admired her work as an editor and as a graphic designer and within a couple of days, everyone at the offices admired it too. In fact, everyone in Seattle began to recognize her work not just for the SkyMediaOffices but for other work on YouTube. She became famous quickly. But that's beside the point, Erica hated the fame and toned it down a bit but after a while everything was back to normal and she worked in the office right next to me again.

"Max let's go!" Tim yelled from outside the door. I came back to reality and finished spiffing up.

"Yeah, give me a minute." I yelled out finishing up with spraying cologne. I looked at myself one last time in the mirror, my black sweatshirt fit nicely on me and revealed my gray button up beneath it. It was colder than usual, but I didn't think anything of it. Tim and I got to work early but Erica was already there, working away. I sat at my station and began to turn everything on, excited to show her what I've been working on for my own channel where I would soon to upload.

"Hey Erica, come here!" I unnecessarily yelled to her a couple seats down. I saw her laugh and stand up, she was wearing back skinny jeans with a white loose tank top that stopped above her waist and she had a soft grey scarf on over that.

"What is it?" She asked leaning over, her perfume flooded my nose and I smiled to myself. Everything about her was perfect. I pulled myself back from drifting off and handed her the headphones. I saw her smile and stiffness a small laugh.

"It's cool." I said, she smiled and nodded looking me in the eyes. Her icey blue eyes always get me with their beauty.

"You're supposed to say it's cool." I said sarcastically and she blushed laughing with me and handing the headphones back.

"That was cool, really." She had a large smile but I could tell something was wrong, she wasn't completely there. I looked at her eyes, they were tired and almost lifeless and sad.

"What's wrong?" I mouthed quietly even though no one was in the office.

"Nothing." She whispered smiling solemnly and walked quietly back to her desk. After hours of hard work and editing, it was time to take our lunch break. I walked over to Erica whom was engulfed in her editing work with headphones on, making it easy to sneak up on her. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and placed my head on hers, i saw her smile before she took the headphones off.

"Hey Maxy." She said playfully with a smile.

"It's lunch time, and it's my turn to take you out." I whispered rubbing my thumbs on her bare arms worming them up because they seemed to be cold.

"Okie dokie." She laughed and paused her work and followed me to the desk to clock out.

"Where are we going?" Erica called after me as I raced down the stairs while she put on her jacket. She came out quickly, her long dark brown hair hanging messily out with the purple peaking out slightly.

"That is your surprise and my pleasure paying." I said holding the door for Erica with a big grin of excitement. Her face showed some concern but she shrugged it off knowing it was only me being me.

"Why is it that you like to pay for a person?" Erica asked as we walked to my black Prius in the other side of the parking lot.

"Well, you're not just any person, you're special." I saw her blush behind her hair as we got in.

"And how special am I?" She asked hesitantly.

"To me, you're the most important talented I have ever met and, to say the least, a goddess. To other's your beauty clouds their judgement so they do not see your full potential." I felt I was rambling about why I adore her so much.

"Max stop it, I'm blushing!" Erica laughed putting her hand on my outstretched arm. I saw her out of the corner of my eye smiling at me gleefully before turning to look out the windshield that started to flake with raindrops.

"Maxy, have I told you how I feel about you?" She asked out of the silence.

"No, I don't believe you have." I said honestly glancing at her before turning my focus back on the road.

"Come on, you have to remember. I told you why I broke up with Travis a couple weeks ago?" Her voice became flirtatious. I shook my head and continued to drive as she sighed and got ready to talk.

"After that one night a couple months ago where we went out together for my birthday. We got drunk, and you remember what happened after we got to my apartment. Well since then I was thinking that I've been with the wrong person for the past year. And the right person was you." Erica's voice was happy. I can't believe that night slipped from my mind, I remember every drunk word she said that one night. My face was wrinkled with a huge smile as I realized she actually meant it.

"You were drunk that night, I didn't think you meant what you said." I laughed squeezing her leg. She shrieked in pain and squirmed away.

"Max, I can explain." She whimpered quietly, I heard the pain in her voice.

"Yeah, you better start explaining Erica." I felt myself grow angry, I tried to calm myself but thinking that some thing bad happened to her pissed me off more.

"I drunk texted him the other night about how much I hated him and wanted to break up with him sooner. He was also decently toxicated and, well, you what he's like when he's mad." Tears were falling out of her eyes. I was upset and angry at her, she knows better than to have her phone when she's drunk. She knows better to not drink unless people are with her.

"Erica, you know better than to drink alone. And why the hell haven't you gotten rid of that crazy bastard's phone number?" I couldn't help must but to begin raising my voice.

"Dont call him that!" Erica yelled at me. She was taking his side, the man that beat her. Was she blind? I glared at her.

"Don't even." I mumbled angrily looking at her and back at the road.

"He's my friend and I don't want you talking about him like that!" Tears were still falling down her cheeks.

"I don't want you seeing him anymore, okay?" I yelled, the argument heated quicker than I thought. I didn't like the way Travis treated her, even if she was drunk when she texted him. They were both to blame but he has always been insane to begin with.

"What is your problem, Max?" Her voice was harsh and sad and annoyed and angry. I couldn't take my eyes off of hers, so full of hate and anger they scared me.

And that's when it happened. I felt the jolt of force as the two cars collided and the pressure of the airbag in front of me. A scream of agony came from Erica beside me and panic started to set in. But it was too late to do anything, the world around me started to fade out into black and the only sound I heard was her scream.

What have I done?

Everything was fine, it was perfect once, but not anymore. Not after that night.

Because after that night, our lives had changed for what seems like forever. And we were never the same again, Erica and I. I can still hear Erica's voice telling me how she knew I was the right person, and I can still hear her screams. But she never heard me say the three words I've been dying to.

I. Love. You.