Just Friends

October 10th

NEW EMAIL FROM LEONARD PHILLIPS
I've pieced together the camera footage, but somehow it doesn't cover the side of the vehicle where it was hit. Meaning I've watched a lot of footage from the other side. I'm almost guessing. It's like watching the TV from behind someone's head. You weren't kidding when you said he swapped seats with you in a matter of milliseconds. All I can see so far is before the crash you're sat in one seat, the next second, you're in the back. This may be best trick I have ever seen. Maybe trick is the wrong word to use given the circumstances. Act would be more suited to the situation. I'll continue to analyse the footage. I'm using my office at the moment to plan the act how I would myself. Hopefully this will open a new perspective. I haven't been here in years! Leonard.

NEW EMAIL FROM AUGUST BISHOP
Leonard, Ethan here. Big fan. As humbling as it is to hear you're having trouble solving how I switched seats. I will save you time and effort and tell you, you're wasting your time. I'm sure this won't affect you at all to stop your pursuit, but I ask you to stop your pursuit of emailing August. I also ask you to send her one last email saying the act is unsolvable. I will delete this conversation between us so she won't know of our discussion.
I'm sure we'll meet one day. Until then, Ethan Knight.

     "What are you doing on my laptop?" I asked Ethan as I entered the apartment.
     "I thought I told you to drop it." Ethan Snarled, grabbing his jacket from the hanger.
     "What are you talking about?" I knew exactly what he was talking about.
     "Don't play stupid August!" He stormed past me, his eyes filled with rage. Like when he saw the marking on my face after Mark hit me. Surely he was overreacting a little. Max entered the apartment behind me and closed the door. Ethan walked straight past him, too. They still weren't talking.
     "Ethan, I'm sorry!" I shouted in despair.
     "What did you do?" Max asked.
     I sighed. "I hired someone to figure out how Ethan switched seats with me in the truck."
Ethan walked down the corridor and called the elevator.
     Max sighed. "He never told you did he?"
     "Told me what?" My concern rocketed. These moments never end with good news.
He looked down, then at Ethan and then looked down again.
     My bottom lip started to tremble.
     "He died August... his heart stopped in the impact. They brought him back in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I stayed with him for as long as I could. I asked them not to say anything because I knew he would want to be the one to tell you."
     I turned my head and looked at Ethan with tears rolling down my cheeks. His back facing me and his head to the floor. I fell to the floor and cried. Like I've never cried before. I screamed through my tears. I couldn't breath. I was gasping for air. I really thought my lungs were not functioning properly and I was going to pass out. I wrapped my arms over my head as I curled up on the floor. Darkness engulfed my body. I thought I was going to pass out.
     I heard rushing footsteps, Ethan asked Max to leave.
     "Don't cry August, please don't cry." Ethan said as he sat beside me and stroked my back.
"Please don't cry."
     I couldn't stop. It felt like the world around me had collapsed. My lungs then kickstarted and I coughed as I tried to inhale. He scooped his arms underneath me and lifted me to his chest. I wrapped my arm around him and cried into his neck. We slumped onto the sofa. He tucked my hair behind my ears with his free hand. He hushed me silently as he rocked me in his arms.
     "August you're breaking my heart. Please stop crying, please."
     He rested his forehead against mine. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I knew this is how you would react and I hate to see you cry. It's my least favourite thing. I hate it more than smoking."
     I giggled through my tears.
     "It was never me sat in the passenger seat in my dream. It was you. I'm sat in the back. You're sat in the front and the car is heading straight for you. I can't move. My belt is stuck and I'm fighting to unclip it, but it won't budge. The car hits us and I wake up calling out your name."
     I opened my eyes and looked up, deep into his distressed eyes. My tears stopped. I desperately wanted to grab him and kiss him.
     "I saw it when my heart stopped, it was just like a dream or a vision and when I woke there were two defibrillators attached to my chest."
     I sat up and tightened my arms around his neck. He was wearing the plain yellow tie I bought him for his seventeenth birthday. It tangled in our arms. Ethan pulled on it, allowing it to fall free, smirking as he did so. This was the moment. The moment I tell him. I couldn't hold it back anymore. I wouldn't.
     I took a deep breath, "Ethan, I..." I said nervously. My jaw was still trembling from crying. He shushed me and covered my lips with his thumb.
     "It can wait, dear." He wiped my cheek and kissed it.