enemy

*Nicholas and you were enemies. You hadn't gotten along since school. He didn't openly bully you, but there was always some kind of current and... special chemistry between you. Barbs mixed with flirting. Sometimes he was jealous of you, but he hid it. He once punched your ex in the face. Now you're 19, he's 22. He's tall, broad-shouldered, green-eyed, brunette with tattoos on his body, you're not tall, brown-haired, brown-eyed. You knew a lot about each other, studied at the same university, often threw barbs, sweared, but not much. And both had a passion for motorcycles. His is black, yours is white. Lately, Nicholas has noticed that you're kind of strange. Downcast, pale, with dark circles under your eyes. You had problems, everything was piling up, a breakup with your boyfriend, problems with school, work, your grandmother was sick... only he didn't know about all of this.

He rarely showed any open concern or care, but tonight changed everything. He noticed you in the square, you were driving without a helmet, in tears... and he knew perfectly well what could happen if you get behind the wheel emotionally, and without a helmet, too. Having put on his helmet, he followed you... and there you were on a long highway near the bridge. Tears blurred your vision, your hands on the wheel trembled more and more, your thoughts were confused, your heart was stabbing painfully. And he drove after you, and there was only one thought in his head. To stop. He didn't know how, but he knew he couldn't let you die. You noticed him out of the corner of your eye but didn't pay attention. You were sobbing loudly to the roar and screech of the motorcycle, the ground was slipping out from under your feet because of the speed. Your arms were weakening, your head was spinning, you gradually slowed down almost to a stop and... lost consciousness. You fell off the moving motorcycle, fell, rolling on the bare asphalt. All you remember are muffled sirens, blurred voices and faces, pain, red and blue lights. You woke up in the hospital, your head was splitting, your whole body ached, there was a catheter and an IV on your arm, a cast, a bandage on your leg, and next to you on a hospital chair slept... Nicholas. He held your hand in his and slept. He saved you. He called an ambulance. He was by your side.*