Sails and Styles (Completed)

Chapter 2

Black. Everything is black. Initially I hear nothing, just silence. And I feel pain in my whole body. I slowly open my eyes and see that I'm upside down with only my seat belt holding me in. I try to free myself, but I can barely move my left arm so it's no use. I look to the driver and passenger but there is no movement there. That's when all the noises started. Or at least I became aware of them. Shouting first. Lots of shouting. I don't respond. I don't know why I don't say anything, but I don't. I can't take my eyes off the people in front of me as I silently beg them to start moving. Now there's sirens. Lots of sirens. And so many flashing lights. It takes a while for the first person to get to us. We've gone down a ravine. A firefighter asks me if I'm okay and I just stare straight ahead as another firefighter approaches the passenger and driver. I see them reach through the broken window and check for a pulse. He shakes his head at his colleague. And then everything is black again.

I bolt upright in bed, gasping for air. My body is damp from sweat. Tears are slowly rolling down my cheeks. I concentrate on slowing my breathing down like my counsellor has taught me, and eventually my breathing returns to normal. I peek at the clock. It's four a.m. I lay for only a moment before making the decision to just start my day. Meditation and yoga feel more than necessary today and I linger in each pose.

I shower and get dressed after. I put on shorts and a tank top but throw on a sweater because it'll be a bit cool on the water this morning. I lace up my white sneakers and then run around my house packing the rest of the things I'll need. I fill up my car and make sure I leave room for his things. I begin the short drive to his hotel, stopping to get coffee and muffins along the way. I pull into underground parking and as I take out my phone to call him, I notice him leaning against a wall with a duffle bag over his shoulder. No one should look that good this early in the morning. The thought appears in my brain before I even have a chance to register it. I push it aside as I've become accustomed at doing for the past couple months. No time for silly notions like that. I take a deep breath and get out of the car and approach him.

"Harry? Hi, I'm Maggie," I say reaching my hand out to him.

He furrows his brow and looks at me skeptically, never taking my hand, so I put it down, embarrassingly. He is dressed casually in athletic shorts and a hooded sweatshirt that I recognize from his tour merchandise. He has on a ball-cap and sunglasses which is part of the reason I didn't recognize him at first.

"You're Maggie?" he asks incredulously.

"Uh yeah," as if this is a trick.

"The schoolteacher? Margaret Wilson?"

Now I'm the confused one. "Yes," I barely squeak out.

"You are not what I expected," he says looking me up and down.

"Are you disappointed?" I say looking down at the ground, feeling self-conscious.

"No, no. Not at all. Oh shit, sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I actually meant it the other way. Oh god, I shouldn't have said that. I just hear the name Margaret Wilson and I assumed you would be an older woman."

"Nope. Just a twenty-five-year-old schoolteacher with a lot of time off in the summer," I say smiling, hopefully reassuring him that he didn't make the wrong choice. He smiles back with a hint of a smirk and I feel my cheeks flush, and I quickly look away dropping my smile. I feel like I've been caught feeling happy and the guilt creeps in.

"Are you ready to go?" I say without making eye contact. I can feel his eyes on me, assessing me but I don't dare to meet them, focusing on the keys in my hand. I hear him respond, yeah, and watch as he places his bag in the back. I open my door and get in and he does the same.