"Are you okay, Miss?" The cabbie asked Erin. He could tell by her tear stained face that something was wrong. "I'm here if you want a stranger's opinion." He offered once more. Erin shook her head, tears still falling down her pale cheeks and just like that, the conversation was over. He wasn't one to push the subject. "Where to?"
"Can we just drive for a bit?" She bit her lip after she asked. She was well aware that this man had a job to do, and here she was, hogging his time. "Please," She begged. She wasn't sure why, but she felt safe in the cab with this man, even with the thunderstorm that was happening out the window.
"Of course," He assured her and turned off the meter. This woman needed something from this world and he wasn't about to let her pay for it.
"No, you don't have to turn off the meter. I can pay." Any other time, Erin would have been offended by the gesture and demanded a new cab driver, but today? Today she couldn't bring herself to care. Jay had just walked out on her, on their relationship. She couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. "I'm sorry," Erin sobbed out profusely. She never cried in front of people, yet there she was, unable to stop the tears.
"It's fine," The cab driver flicked his wrist in her direction. He didn't know how to help the woman's distress, but he was sure that dwelling on it, wasn't the solution she needed. "I know of a spot that helps me clear my head. Would you like to go?" He offered.
"Yeah, I think that would help." She thought about it for a second longer. She knew that allowing a random cab driver decide the route was dangerous; she was a cop, after all, but she didn't care.
"It's just right out of the city." He turned on his turn signal and moved closer to the outskirts of town. "I found this place when I first moved here. I didn't have any family here. I was seventeen and I was seeking asylum. My parent were killed by a bomb. My sisters were taken, I hid like a coward in the small room. I watched my family be ripped apart in front of me and I hid." The cab driver shook his head at the memories. That was nearly 35 years ago, but to this day, he wasn't sure what happened to his sisters and that broke his heart more times than one.
"I'm sorry," Erin looked down. Here she was wallowing in her problems, when this man had gone through so much more.
"I'm not saying this for sympathy. I'm saying this because I got through it. There were times when I was sure the sun wouldn't come up the next day, when I didn't want it to come up, but it still did. You can't stop the Earth from turning, all you can do is hold on tightly. Shut your eyes, picture what you want the most in this world." He looked in the rear view mirror to see if she was following his advice. "Do you know?" She hummed in response. "Tell me about it."
"Jay," Erin breathed out. The only thing that mattered to her right now, was Jay. The cab driver waited patiently for her to gather her thoughts. "He's everything I've ever wanted and more. He's caring and protective. He's sexy and funny. When he is passionate about something, his eyes twinkle slightly. He doesn't go down without a fight, especially for the ones he cares about. He concentrates way too hard on things. I could go on for hours about him." Erin sighed. She didn't want to open her eyes beacuse in her imagination, Jay was standing right in front of her. He was still there for her.
"We have time." The cab driver told her. "Maybe another fifteen minutes until we get there." He looked at the clock.
"I just don't know where I went wrong. He was perfect. I have done some not so good things in my life, but Jay, he didn't care about that. He only cared about my present and my future. He...He wasn't one to dwell on things. But then I had to be stupid and push him away when Nadia died." Erin paused. She wasn't used to talking about Nadia even if it had been two years ago.
"Who is Nadia?" The cab driver sensed her hesitation. "You don't have to tell me." He backtracked quickly.
"Nadia was my best friend. I helped her get to a better place in her life before a psycho took her from us. It was partly my fault. She went out to get a birthday cake for me. She should have never been alone that day. She was exactly his type." She sobbed harder. Sure, it had been two years, but Erin couldn't help but feel a little guilty. After all, it was her birthday.
"It wasn't your fault. You said it yourself, she was his type. He would have gone through anything to have her." His voice was even, calm.
"Thank you." SHe gave a watery smile even as her eyes stayed closed. "After that, I downward spiraled. I started using again, I was partying. Anything and everything I could do to get her off my mind. Jay, he tried to pull me out of it. I didn't want any of it, though. It wasn't until he was kidnapped and set for ransom before I got my head out of my ass." The cab driver chuckled. "After that, I knew he was the one for me. I just don't know how to fix this. I don't know what exactly I did wrong." Erin broke down and put her head in her hands. She couldn't stop the trainwreck of sobs now if she wanted to. "I just wish I knew where he was. I just want to talk to him!" She continued. She had her guesses about where he was, but she wasn't positive.
"How about you go find out how to fix this yourself." The cab driver said when he put the car in park. "He's up there. Apartment 3C. He's alone and hurting, like you." Erin's head shot up and her eyes burst open. She looked out the window and noticed an apartment building. "Talk to him. If thinks don't work out, call me back and I'll take you somewhere else."
"Thank you...I don't know what else to say." Erin told him honestly. She tried to pull out cash from her wallet, but the cab driver shook his head.
"This one is on me." He winked and jerked his head towards the building. "Go get him."
"What is your name?" Erin stopped halfway out the door.
"Just call me N," He shrugged and pulled away with a wink when she shut the door. Erin looked to the sky. Nadia had always pulled for Jay and Erin and there she was again helping her to him.
"Thank you, Nads," She whispered and made her way into the building. She took the stairs three at a time to the third floor. She frantically moved through the hallway until she stopped at the door clearly labeled 3C. She hesitantly placed her fist on the door to knock.
"Erin," Jay breathed a sigh of relief and she fell into his arms. "I'm so sorry." He kissed her head over and over. He didn't bother hiding his tears because his stupid pride had gotten him in this situation in the first place. Erin shook her head at his apologies. She fused their lips together, beacuse for the first time in a while, they weren't going to think. It was just the two of them against the world.