He walked down the alley with a wobble, trying to keep his eyes on the road. The skin on his knees was covered with many tiny scratches.
As soon as he crossed to the other side, he knelt at the spot where he had watched the love of his life breathe her last. It had started to rain but he didn't care.
He knelt there and stared at the tarred spot. For a second, he thought he saw her there calling for him, moving her limbs and hopping onto him.
"Ashley, I'm here" he mumbled delusively. A tear dropped down his eyes but the rain washed it away. His phone was buzzing in his pockets but right then, his ears were deaf to the sounds of the world.
He saw something dazzling in the streetlight, right on the spot where the accident happened and he poked at it. Without glancing so much at it, he knew what it was. It was the promise ring he gave to her. The one he put in her finger when he was certain that he would never let her go no matter what came their way.
Her promise ring was right here and that made him so sure of his fears- she was gone. No matter how near she was, she was definitely gone. He wasn't crazy.
Still, he feared going home and not finding her there.
He blew dust off the ring and just as he was about dropping it in his pockets, a bright light that almost blinded him shone directly at his face from a distance and as he looked up, he saw a van coming his way.
It was not moving very fast or it would have crushed him on the same spot that Ashley was crushed.
"So many drunkards on this street. Is this the best place to end your life, you alcoholic fool? You want to send me to jail huh? I almost didn't see you!" the man driving the van stopped to yell at him.
Nicolas stood up to have a look at his face but he started the van and zoomed off before he could. It was the same van.
There was definitely something about it he had to unravel.
He traced the route it followed and then he began to hop home as fast as he could.
It was raining cats and dogs already and he barely saw what was before him.
He had never in his life been out in the rain like this, drenched and weak- he had always lived a life of luxury. It was strange but at his distress, he cared less.
He was going to follow the van. He needed to.
As soon as he got home, he was met by Junie who was standing at his door, calling someone. She was not alone. A tall, elegant lady was also there, pacing up and down his sheen balcony.
Immediately they sighted him, Junie ran over and embraced him, sobbing. Then she helped him up the stairs into his house, and the young lady peeled off his clothes and dressed him in an overall.
None of them asked him anything.
Junie went to the kitchen to make him tea. He didn't complain but he knew he needed to follow the van right away.
As soon as he had his tea, he said to them,
"I want to be alone right now. I'll call for you when I'm fine" and as if on cue, both of them left him.
He knew who the young lady was.
It was the popular Anne Watson's daughter, Loretta- the cynosure of everyone's eyes.
She was already a co-partner with Jenny and Trevor Newton, his parents, and he knew that his mother wanted them to get married to each other.
Loretta Watson was a statuesque supermodel in Jenny's agency plus she worked in her own mother's international textile corporation as well (Anne Watson Corporation)and so, the definition of his mother's ideal partner for him- tall and beautiful, sophisticated, well-to-do, meticulous and well-informed, and a rare bonus- sultry.
Besides, Loretta had had a huge crush on Nicolas since high school, an obvious and unrequited one at that.
He didn't want to think about what she was looking for in his house at half past 6 in the evening, and why she came uninvited.
If he got too upset, he was definitely going to throw her out in the rain.So he decided to be quiet about it until morning
She usually came to him at the oddest, most annoying times even after he made it obvious that he had no feelings for her.
Nicolas knew that Ashley was gone again, and he feared that she might never come back.
With all the energy he could muster, he ran out into his parking lot and drove out in the rain.