After Tonight

Rob left for Australia in three days.
When I started dating him, I’d forgotten about his job.
I was sprawled out on the wood floor of our new apartment, or “flat” as he would say, flipping through the new Pottery Barn catalogue.
We’d finished all of the painting, as well as other minor things like light fixtures and such. I think my favorite room was our bedroom; we painted it white, but one day when I got home early, I broke out some of my old paint supplies and painted designs in a few of the corners. Rob didn’t notice the ethereal flowers in the corners and I wasn’t about to tell him. All that was left was the furniture. We were only keeping a few things from each of our apartments—I wanted to coordinate.
Robert sat on the couch watching a documentary about 1968 and mindlessly running his hand through his hair.
“What about this one?” I held up the catalogue for him to see. It was a rather comfy looking brown leather sofa. I liked it. And it would match perfectly. Rob didn’t respond.
“There’s this one too,” I looked back at him. “If you don’t like the leather.” I tossed the catalogue to him and he briefly broke his gaze from me to catch it.
“Let’s get out of here.” Rob’s voice was hoarse. Since he landed the role, he’d taken to smoking every morning, afternoon, and evening—and pretty much any time in between. He slipped off of the couch and stretched out beside me.
“Out of the apartment?” I turned to look out the window and looked back at him, smiling. It was quite nice out, a good day for a walk. Rob delicately tucked some of my hair behind me ear.
Without a word, he fervently pressed his lips against mine, taking my waist.
“Out of the city.” He murmured as he pulled me on top of him.
“A little escape.” I replied, caught up in his taste.
“Exactly.” Rob trailed kisses down my neck and his fingers played with the waistline of my jeans. I felt my body flush, the heat spreading from the pit of my stomach.
In no time at all, Rob had me undressed. I clumsily stripped him of his t-shirt and jeans, my body tingling in anticipation. And then my spinal chord rolled on the floor. Ouch.
“It’s too hard.” I muttered, stopping Rob’s eager attempt to unclasp my bra. I could feel his grin against my stomach.
“Oh, is it?” He chuckled, clearly proud of his wit.
“The floor, Rob.” I nipped at his neck, my body on the verge of a meltdown if this didn’t get started soon.
…
“So where are you planning on running off to for the weekend?” I asked, nestling into Rob’s side.
“Let’s go to the coast.” His wrapped his arm around me and pulled me closer. “Somewhere no one can find us.”
“When can we leave?” I traced shapes across his bare chest and stomach, admiring the contours. All I could picture was Rob and I in a secluded little beach house in the middle of nowhere. Perfect.
…
We left soon after, packing as little as possible. The night sky stretched out above us, speckled with stars. The drive was quiet. I had barely gotten any sleep the night before, due to sex—Rob insisted that we make up for lost time, ahead of time. I fell in and out of sleep most of the way, always waking up feeling bad that he had to drive straight through.
Rob’s fingers intertwined with mine as the car sped off down the abandoned highway. Raindrops hit the windshield lightly, adding a soft harmony to the already calming music. A summer storm was in the works.
“You should pay attention to the road.” I smiled as Rob kissed my fingers delicately. He just grinned and kissed the palm of my hand in response.
The rain had started to pick up, the sky turning black. The soft drumming of Rob’s fingers against the steering wheel couldn’t drown out the noise. Noticing my fluttering eyelids, Rob turned the radio down.
“We’ll be there in soon.” Trying to keep his eyes on the road, he reached a hand back to grab my pillow.
“I’ll get it.” I sat up, stretching my arms a little.
“No, I’ve got it love.” Rob replied. He continued to grasp for it.
I lay back against the seat, trying to make head or tales of the road in front of me; I couldn’t read a single road sign. Rob muttered a curse word under his breathe when he couldn’t quite reach the pillow.
“Rob, let me.”
“Got it!” He smiled triumphantly, turning to pull the pillow out. The instant his eyes left the road, we swerved.
“Dammit Rob.” I murmured, inhaling sharply. What a close call. Everything was so slick, we could have plummeted to our deaths just then.
“Abbey it’s fine.” He was once again focused on the road. The ride continued in silence, not even the song on the radio could be heard.
“Do you think we missed a turn?” I asked, looking over the Map Quest directions once again.
“I dunno,” Rob’s brow knitted. “What about those directions?”
“Well we’ve been on Willow for at least 10 miles, like it says…but we should be making a turn soon.”
“I can’t read any of these fucking signs.” Rob sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“We’re fine.” I smiled, rubbing his leg a little. The last thing I wanted to do was spend the little time I had left with him in a bad mood.
The weather outside wasn’t lifting. It only seemed to be getting worse. If I were anywhere but in a vehicle, I would enjoy it—I loved storms. But being inside a car, not having control of the wheel and trying to find my way was beginning to frustrate me. Rob wasn’t a bad driver by any means, it was just one of those things.
Then I saw a yellow blur.
“Rob, what does that sign say?” We squinted. “Well, we’ll see it when we get closer.”

Rob’s P.O.V.
“We’ll see it when we get closer.” Abbey rested against the seat again, going over the directions for the twentieth time.
I glanced over at her, trying to take in as much as I could before she was gone. If these next two days were going to be anything like last night, I don’t know if I would actually have the balls to leave her.
I tried reading the yellow sign again, fearing we would pass it before I could make out the words. And then it hit me.
“Shit!” I turned the wheel furiously, praying my stupidity wouldn’t team up with the five inches of rain that had flooded the road.
I heard Abbey gasp. And then I heard the sickening crunch of an automobile collided with a tree. Before I could react, I was horizontal, and something warm had started to trickle down the side of my face.
I couldn’t see anything anymore; the world in front of me turned gray.

Abbey’s P.O.V.
It had happened so quickly. Neither Rob nor I could tell that there was an arrow pointing to the left on the sign until we passed it. Rob shouted, gripped the steering wheel and turned as hard as humanly possible. As a result, I was lying against the passenger door frantically trying to collect myself.
In a matter of seconds, I’d discovered all of my injuries. From the matted blood in my hair and the black spots popping in and out of my sight, I assumed I’d smacked my head pretty hard against the window. A pain jolted through my arm and when I reached across my aching chest, blood came off on my fingers.
Rain pounded hard against the car, creating an eerie silence. I peered through the window expecting flashing lights and a siren or two, but the world was dead. When my head stopped spinning, I smelled it—that rusty iron scent. I smelled blood. My stomach twisted in agony and I gagged—I was never one for needles, doctors and crazy surgery shows.
“Rob!” I croaked, wearily lifting my head and stretching my arms out to hoist myself up.
I think it was then that I went into shock. Rob was just there, almost hanging, with the seatbelt pulled tight across his neck. The blood wasn’t coming from me, but from the side of Rob’s head. It glistened, unable to stop flowing. A sob escaped my throat; it was unnaturally hoarse and frenzied—I shivered at the sound.
Pushing off the door for support, I helplessly propped his body up and unbuckled the seatbelt. He only slumped further, his body limp and heavy in my throbbing arms. I pressed my ear against his chest, eager to hear a heartbeat. Heat no longer radiated from his body, and as the coldness took over, I slowly began to lose the will to climb out of the car.
“Rob!” I screamed, my voice trembling. “Rob, you have to wake up! We have to get you out of here.” My arms shook as I searched his body for other gashes and I couldn’t help but cry hysterically. We were going to die.
A last-ditch shot of adrenaline rushed through me. I had to get out of here. Unable to calm my quivering limbs, I scrounged around for a cell phone. My fingers hit the numbers and when I got the operator, I could barely make out what had gone wrong. She assured me help was on the way.
Again, I checked Rob’s breathing. In an instant, I flashed back to when I was laying in bed listening to the steady drumming of his heart. He smiled the crooked grin that made me go wild and pressed his palm against my own heart. Then, in a self-satisfied tone he said, “I make your heart race.”
“OK Rob.” I gritted my teeth. “This is it.” Pushing my way around his still frame, I reached for the door. It was so much harder to push when you’re going up, but I had to get us out.
Without thinking, I balanced on the side of the car, trying to steady myself. Then I reached down and locked my arms under Rob’s and pulled—foolish of me, I know. As I tugged him through the door, he grunted softly. The adrenaline inside of me doubled and I finally got him to the ground.
What a story this was going to be.
“Rob.” I propped him up against the wheel. “Rob, can you hear me?” He was still bleeding profusely and I tried so hard to remember what I’d learned from First-Aid training in my high school health class.
All I wanted to do was hold him. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his lips. They tasted like blood.
“We’re going to be alright.” I promised him. “They’re coming for us.” He groaned slightly—I’d accidentally pressed on the side of his face that’d been bleeding.
I leaned up against the car next to him, becoming fully aware of my pain now that the adrenaline had worn off. I pressed gingerly on my stomach and felt a fire surge. Screaming slightly, I continued pressing on places. Now all that was left for me to do was wait. And they came. I watched as the EMS workers stuffed Rob inside the ambulance before I climbed in the back. And then we were in the emergency room, lying side by side with a curtain separating us.
While the nurse stitched me up, I plagued her with questions about Rob. All she told me was that we could both leave in a day or two, which was good…just not the detailed answer I wanted. It was driving me nuts not to see him, or hear him, or kiss him. I wanted to know that he was alright; I wanted to know on my terms. The doctors told me he was still out, and that I too should get some rest. When I refused, they shot me up with a sedative.

Rob’s P.O.V.
I don’t remember anything in between hitting the tree and waking up in a stiff hospital bed. I didn’t even care that I couldn’t remember, I just wanted Abbey. Where was she? Was she badly hurt? What a stupid bloke I was for getting her into a wreck.
Tubes were sticking out of me like I was bloody science experiment and I had one hell of a headache. I’d never ached more in my life than I did laying there. My right arm had a stitch at least a foot long and both of my hands looked like they’d gone through glass. I reached up to touch the side of my head and shuddered. It was damp and stitched, a long stitch too. I pressed the call button—someone had to explain to me what the hell happened.
Abbey was passed out in the bed next to mine. I listened with wet eyes as the nurse described her situation. Abbey had a minor concussion, severely bruised her pelvis and broken her left wrist. I nearly cried with joy that she was safe—pretty banged up, but safe.
As for myself, I’d sustained a closed head injury—it was nothing permanent, but the doctor assured me I wouldn’t be filming until I’d had a month of taking it slow. They’d stitched me up—200 stitches in all—and gave me a sedative to help me sleep.