A/N: I am late but here is my submission for my first Flash Fiction Challenge.

I am sooooo excited that so many of you took the challenge. Its so much fun, right?!

Anyway, the prompt for this one was FLAT TIRE and this is what I came up with :)

As always, your reviews make my life complete so hit the button and leave me some love.

And before I get asked...YES Remember Me is coming :) Hang tight for a couple more days :)

She didn't know what she was expecting that night, but it certainly wasn't meeting the man of her dreams. When the car first stopped, she just prayed that the person inside had a cell phone that would work as hers was deader than dead. As she waited for her unknown rescuer to make his or her way from their car to hers, she said a quick prayer that she wasn't about to be the victim of some roadside murder or rape. Tonight would be the perfect night for some serial killer to make their move with the rain coming down faster than she could ever remember before and the pitch black night.

For a moment she contemplated locking the doors and refusing to let the person help her, but the fact that it was late, she was tired , and she had classes at 8 am won out and she slide from the car to greet the person as they slipped from their own car.

For a moment as she met the stranger between their two cars and in the bright light from his headlights, she was sure that she was hallicinating. It couldn't possibly be who she thought it was. But then he smiled and she knew it was exactly who she thought it was. " Eddie."

" Loren. What are you doing on the side of the road?! " He touched her arm just like all those times back when they were friends, she felt a chill run from her head to her toes. If it was any other guy, she would blame it on the rain...but Eddie Duran wasn't any other guy. He was the perferct guy. The perfect guy who had a girlfriend, she reminded herself.

" I have a flat tire, " she told him with a look of complete frustration and embarrassment at the same time. It would figure that the first time she sees him again since leaving for school would be now, tonight, like this. " My cell battery is dead. "

He gave her that lopsided, heart stopping, smile of his and shook his head. " Do you know how dangerous it is to be in this part of LA, at this time of night alone?"

Loren smiled because even after all this time, Eddie was concerned about her. They hadn't exactly ended their, ah friendship, on a positive note and she had tucked tail and boarded the first plane to Rhode Island and Brown University. " I know. I had to drop a paper off for my professor by midnight. That's the only reason I am stuck out here." He gave her a look that told her that the words confused him. Her mom must not have told Max the news. Or if she did, Max must told have relayed it to his son. " I'm back for good. I started classes at Cal-U two days ago."

" You've been back for two days and no one told me." He pushed his soaking wet hair off his forehead, " you didn't call me." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. One that he wasn't thrilled with. In fact, Loren thought maybe he sounded a little hurt.

" I didn't call because I wasn't sure that you would want me to." Not after the way they left things. Not after she ran away without hearing him out. She was unfair and she was ashamed. " I'm sorry." The rain was pelting her now that it was coming down even faster than before but she didn't care. She honestly barely noticed it. The way that Eddie was looking at her right now made everything else disappear.

The hurt was gone and in it's place was frustration. " Loren, why wouldn't I want you to call me? I always want you to call me. " He moved closer and took her hands in his. " I have missed you."

Her heart started beating so loud that she was sure that he could hear it even over the loudness of the rain hitting their respective cars. " You have? But I treated you so badly? I didn't even let you explain about Chloe."

It was something that had bothered her a lot in the months since she left. She wasn't a stupid person. She knew deep down that things weren't always what they seemed, but when Chloe answered Eddie's phone that day and let her believe that they were together, fear took over all the rational thoughts she could have. She was petrified of losing him to Chloe and the amount of pain that it would cause so she did the worst thing that she could possibly do. She took the scholorship offer and moved to the other side of the country. No goodbye. No explanation. Just a note telling Eddie that she knew his heart was with Chloe and she wouldn't stand in the way of that. It was cowardly and selfish. And did absolutely nothing to make her stop loving him. Distance did nothing to help her get over Eddie.

He used his right hand to touch her face. " I don't care. I missed you. Every single day that you have been gone, I have thought about you. " He took a step forward, closer to her, and Loren took a step back. " I wondered where you were. If you were sitting in a boring class or studying at the library? Or maybe you were in some cozy little cafe with your friends? " He took another step towards her and again she moved back. Not because she was afraid of him, but because she was afraid of what he was making her feel. She didn't want to get caught up in him again. " I wondered if you thought about me too. Did you think about me too, Loren? Did you miss me like I missed you?"

She swallowed thickly and by the flash of amusement in his brown eyes, Eddie noticed. " Yes. Yes I thought of you. Yes I missed you. But..." She moved to pull away from his touch on her cheek but he wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her closer to him. So close that their bodies were touching.

"There are no buts Loren. I missed you and you missed me. And now you are back." His voice was low and drifted away with the rain but she heard the words. She felt the words. " And the fact that you had a flat tire, here tonight, on the same road that I take home, proves to me what I have always known. "

"What is that?" She was almost afraid of his answer but the intense sincerity in his eyes made her feel like his answer would melt her heart.

He let go of her waist and brought his other hand up so that her face was between both of his palms and he moved his face closer still. " That we are fate. We were fate before and we are now too. It could have been anyone on this road tonight Loren. But it's us. You and me. You needed help and I came. I will always come. " His face was so close now she could feel his breath. Loren's eyes darted from his to his mouth and back again. His own did the same. " You never gave me the chance to explain why Chloe was answering my phone before you left. But more importantly you never gave me a chance to tell you how I felt about you. How I still feel about you. I love you, Loren."

Tears welled in her eyes and she didn't both to stop them when they started to fall. All she had ever wanted since she met Eddie was for him to love her. " You love me? Even after everything? What about Chloe?"

"Chloe isn't an issue. She hasn't been an issue since I met you. Since I fell in love with you, and I am in love with you Loren Tate. Madly." He didn't give her a chance to question anything that he just said. He closed the rest of the distance between by capturing her lips with his. Even as he was kissing her senseless and she was blissfully coming to terms with the fact that Eddie Duran loved her, Loren was thankful for whatever cause the tire on her car to go flat and Eddie to be driving down this road at the same time. Fate indeed.