Whoo sorry it's taken me longer than usual to update! I've been so so busy with work and other stuff. I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter on Thursday night and it was ah-mazing! Such a good movie. And I worked all day today and then went back and saw it again with my friend. But, in between, I was working on this! It's a long chapter and I didn't want to rush to get it done, I wanted to get it just right! Well, I won't keep you! Most of the questions will be answered in this chapter! Enjoy! :D


Chapter 18

"It all started last September. I had been seeing this guy named Seth for about a year. I introduced him to my parents a couple of times and they didn't like him at all. They found out that he smoked and drank and, more than once did I come home with a smoke smell on my clothes. Don't get me wrong, they knew that I would never smoke, but they thought that he was a really bad influence on me. He had just turned 20 so he couldn't drink legally. But it was more than the fact that he drank and smoke; he would go out and get drunk and call me and ask if I would come pick him up; I had my car at this time." She took a small break and looked away. She looks out towards the ocean and started again,

"Anyway, I would go and pick him up and we would argue all the way to his house. I would beg him to quit getting drunk all of the time and he would yell and say that I couldn't control him; we were constantly fighting. I would drop him off at his house and cry all the way home. When he was sober, he was as sweet as could be but, when he drank, he turned into a …monster.

One night he was having a party at his house in Carolina Beach and he really wanted me to come. I usually didn't go to his parties, but I wanted to go that night. We had had a really good past couple of days and he had promised he would quit drinking for me. And I believed him. Anyway, I wanted to go just that once so I asked my parents if I could go; they said absolutely not." She shook her head and she began to talk faster,

"I yelled at them and told them that they never let me do anything and that they were against Seth from the moment they met him. They yelled back at me and said that he wasn't right for me and asked how I could be so stupid to think that he would change his lifestyle for me. I was so angry with them and went to my room and slammed my door shut. I waited until the fell asleep, which didn't take long, and I snuck out and drove to Seth's house.

When I got there, there were so many people there that I could barely move. It took me almost twenty minutes to find him. I went to his room and found him making out with some girl on his bed." She gave a weak laugh and continued,

"He said that she had gum stuck on her lips. Anyway, I turned and started to run back to my car and I heard Seth running behind me, calling my name. I got to the front door and ran outside. Before I could get to my car, he caught up with me and grabbed my arm and turned me towards him. He said my name and I could smell the booze on his breath. He was apologizing, saying it wasn't what it looked like. I yanked my arm back and said it was over and turned to go to my car. He grabbed my arm again and I shoved his chest, yelling at him to let me go. He grabbed my arm a third time and jerked me towards him… and then he slapped me."

By this point, Ben's nostrils were flaring and his knuckles were white from grabbing the blankets in anger. If he and Seth; Seth, he even sounded like a bad guy. If he and Seth ever crossed paths, it wouldn't be a pretty sight. He couldn't imagine hitting a girl, especially not Allison. If he ever saw another guy put his hands on Allison, they might as well put him in the back of a cop car. He saw tears fill her eyes and her lip begin to quiver.

"By then, a couple of people had ran outside and grabbed him by the arms and led him back inside. I was so embarrassed because all of the girls were laughing. I cried the entire ride home. I was crying so hard that I didn't even notice that my car was veering to the right. I reached Snow's Cut Bridge and, by then, I veered so far to the right that my tires squealed against the guard rail. I immediately jerked my wheel to the left and slammed on the brakes." Her voice cracked and she put her head down and started to cry. He wanted to comfort her so he scooted closer to her and put his hand on her shoulder,

"You don't have to tell me anything else, Allison."

"No, I've already started telling you. I want you to know, Ben."

He nodded and she took a deep breath and wiped the tears off of her cheeks. There were a few still trickling down her face, but it had slowed down a lot. She took another deep breath and started again,

"Anyway, I slammed on the brakes, not thinking, and the car behind me slammed into the back of me. My car went crashing through the guard rail and the first thing that entered my mind was that this was it; I would never see my friends and family again. I had just had a major fight with my family and I didn't want that to be the last memory I had of them. I thought my car was going to go straight off of the bridge and into the water, and that I wouldn't be able to get out. But, miraculously, it didn't. It went half way off of the bridge; my front tires were off, but my back tires were still on it. Thank god I had my seatbelt on. If I didn't, I don't think I'd be sitting here right now."

Her voice cracked again as more tears streamed down her face. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder. He held her for several minutes before she wiped her cheeks again,

"I'm sorry it's taking me forever to tell you the story."

"Don't be sorry, it was traumatic, I understand completely." She smiled, weakly, and continued,

"My head hit the windshield and I lost consciousness. I don't even know for how along, but the next thing I remember, I heard people screaming. It was muffled at first, but then it started coming back to me what had happened. I started panicking and I got a massive headache and my car started to rock. I heard people yelling at me to stop moving and I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a bunch of people crowded around my car.

They all yelled at me to top moving and, when I did, my car stopped rocking. Then I heard someone yell his name and say he was a firefighter. I looked in my rearview mirror again and saw him looking in the through the window. He told me to pop the trunk and I remember thinking what in the world for? I hesitated for a minute, and during that moment of hesitation, I heard a voice. I knew instantly that it wasn't anyone's from outside my car. It sounded like it was coming from my own head and I remember it saying 'It will all be okay.'" A small smile came across her face,

"And at that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of calmness and I knew the voice I had heard was right. I was going to be okay and I was just as calm as I could be, even with a tragedy happening all around me. The firefighter then yelled at me to slowly move to the backseat of the car. He enunciated the word 'slowly' and I knew it was because if I moved, my car would begin to rock again.

I was nervous, but I trusted the voice in my head and trusted my instincts. So I slowly picked my legs up from underneath the steering wheel and slowly dragged myself to the backseat. My car rocked a little but when I was moving, but, when I sat down in the backseat, my car rocked a lot. I heard the people that were watching scream and I immediately grabbed one of the handles and it slowly stopped rocking. I turned around and looked out of the window and I saw the fire truck in the background with its flashing lights and a huge group of onlookers.

There was a group of maybe five men apart from the firefighter, standing around my car. He told me to move to the trunk and I did and he told me he was going to open the trunk and get me out. Of course, it wasn't easy as it sounded; it was all it took for me to stay completely still while he slowly got the trunk open. The car was rocking back and forth like crazy, but he finally got it opened; the hard part was getting me out, though.

I stayed in the car for what seemed like days when he finally told me what I needed to do. He told me that if I moved too much, then my car would lose its balance and fall into the water. It was already on the edge of falling and… I told them I couldn't do it." He raised his eyebrow, but let her finish.

"He told me that I had to get my balance and that I had to jump out of the trunk. I didn't think I would be able to jump far enough, especially on the first try. He said that there would be five guys, not including himself, waiting to catch me. But I only had one shot. "

She looked away again for a minute. Ben was surprised to say the least. He never would have imagined something so traumatic would have happened to someone like Allison. She was the nicest and the sweetest person he knew. She always had an upbeat demeanor and, to have all of this happen to her and for her to still have such an upbeat mood and attitude was amazing. She eventually turned back to him and he saw tears still on her cheeks. He raised his hand and wiped them off and she gave a weak smile.

"You don't have to tell me the rest." She nodded,

"Yes I do. I'm doing this for myself, too. I've never told this to anybody and I need to finally let it out. You're the perfect person to tell." He smiled,

"Lucky me."

"I'm sorry; I've just unloaded on you, huh?"

"A little bit."

She nodded and looked away. He looked at her and saw a loose strand of her hair. He raised his hand again and tucked it behind her ear. She smiled and he scooted closer to her and turned her face towards his, gently.

"You know I was kidding, don't you?" She gave a small smile and nodded. He nodded, as well,

"Good. You don't ever have to apologize for opening up to me; it means you trust me. I know this is hard for you, and I want you to know I'm here for you."

She smiled and nodded and she leaned into him, laying her head on his shoulder. He held her for a minute before she finally lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked at him. She chuckled,

"You probably want to hear the rest of the story, right?" He smiled and nodded as she took a deep breath,

"Every time I would try and get my balance, the car would rock and I would lose it. The firefighter kept telling me I could do it and he kept encouraging me. I eventually got my balance after about ten minutes of trying. The people in the background were basically on their toes as I slowly sat up. The fireman smiled at me and told me I could do it." She took a small break and then smiled,

"Do you know he reminds me of you?" He looked at her and smiled,

"Really?"

"Yes. He was so encouraging and he believed in my when I didn't believe in myself." She smiled,

"Like you." He couldn't help but smiled as she continued,

"When Jeff was in his accident, you drove all the way back to Burgaw; you raced to his truck to help him. When you and the other guy were trying to help him, I stood there amazed. You two were risking your lives to save him and, when you pulled Jeff out and wouldn't leave without the other guy, all I could do was stare at you. I know that sounds bad, considering the circumstances we were in; Jeff was fighting for his life but all I could stare at was you. And you've been so supportive with this church audition; you've encouraged me and taught me to believe in myself." He smiled and stared at her, knowing that he was 100% completely in love with her. She smiled, too, and shook her head,

"Sorry, I'm rambling." He shook his head,

"You're not rambling. I kind of like it." She laughed and he said,

"I guess it's my turn to ramble, huh?"

She looked at him and he thought about what he wanted to tell her. He thought about it for a minute before he realized he wanted to tell her everything. He took a deep breath and began,

"You know I've never met anyone like you before?"

"Really?" He nodded,

"I knew from that first conversation I had with you that you were unlike anyone I had ever met before. You're the nicest and sweetest person I've ever met, Allison. You have the most infectious smile and you're…beautiful; on the inside and out. It didn't surprise me when you said you were helping your mom decorate for your family reunion because that's the kind of person you are. You put other people before yourself and you love doing it; I can see it in your eyes. They light up whenever you talk about it; I saw it just this afternoon when we were talking.

When you told me why you were scared of bridges, I was surprised. Not because of what happened; but, believe me, if Seth ever crosses my path, let's just say he'll have to pay a serious medical bill." She smiled, tears filling her eyes as she put her hand over her mouth and stared at him.

"It surprised me because I can't believe all of that has happened to you and you still have this, this upbeat mood and demeanor. You're an amazing girl, Allison. Seth was crazy to ever let you go. You're nice, sweet, loving, funny, and hardworking and I could go on and on. Spending these last few days with you has been amazing and made me realize how special you are and," He looked at her, knowing if he didn't say it now, he wouldn't be able to say it again

"And I fell in love with you."

He always imagined saying 'I love you' would be hard to do but saying them to Allison was the easiest thing he had ever done, because he knew it was true. He was never so certain about anything in his life. She stared at him for a minute, smiling, before she asked,

"Did you ever imagine something like this would happen?" He shook his head,

"No." She didn't say anything and Ben shook his head again,

"You don't have to say it back, Allison, that's not why I told you-"She immediately shook her head,

"No, it's just; I want to tell you something." He nodded, with a lump still in his throat. She turned to face him,

"When I first met you, I knew you were unlike any guy I had ever met, too. When Jeff had his accident and when I saw you pull him out, I felt a sudden sense of warmth towards you, even though I had just met you. And when I saw you again in the cemetery a couple of days later, I couldn't help but smile at you. I've smiled and laughed more in these past couple of days with you than I have all year. But, more than that, spending time with you has felt… right. And easy, like it's supposed to be.

I loved spending time with my family these past two days, but I felt empty. I racked my brain for the last two days, trying to figure out what it could be. It wasn't until I saw you get out of your truck and walk across the grass towards me, that I realized it was because I wasn't with you." She smiled,

"I didn't ask you that question because I didn't want to say it back. I asked it because I never imaged that it would happen, but it did. And I've wanted to say it, too." She looked at him and said, in a soft voice,

"I love you, too, Ben."

The next thing he knew, she was leaning towards him and he began to lean towards her. She put her hand on his thigh and gently brought her lips to his. When she finally kissed him, Ben knew nothing would ever compare to that moment when he first kissed the girl of his dreams.

They kissed for a few minutes. When her lips met his, he knew everything in his life had led up to that point. When she pulled away, she put her forehead to his. He brought his hand to her cheek and stroked it gently. She smiled and stared at him, before asking,

"So, when is this surprise going to start?" He looked down at his watch, then looked up at the sky.

"It already has; look up."

She raised her eyebrow, but followed his instruction and looked up at the sky. He watched her look up and watched her mouth open slowly. She stared at the sky in wonder before she looked at him, grinning,

"A meteor shower?" He smiled and nodded,

"Yeah, I saw the article in the newspaper yesterday and figured I'd surprise you and bring you down here to see it."

She grinned again and leaned towards him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled as she turned her attention back to the sky. He looked out at the ocean, taking in all of the information that she had shared with him. Though he hadn't really planned on telling her his true feelings tonight, he couldn't contain them while he was sitting there with her on the beach. He was never so sure about anything in his life. And to have those words returned to him was the best feeling in the world. He turned to her and watched her, seeing the wonder in her expression. He smiled and lay down on the blanket, stretching out. She looked away from the sky and back at him, smiling,

"Are you tired?"

He shook his head and she laid down beside him. He put his arm around her and she turned on her side and put her hand on his chest.

They laid there together in each other's arms, talking and laughing and watching the meteor shower play out above them. While they were lying there, she told him the rest of her story. Though he could hear the sadness in her voice, she didn't cry. She told him that, while she was in the trunk of the car, she took a couple of deep breaths, and then jumped. As soon as she jumped, the car lost its balance and fell into the river.

All she could remember was thanking the firefighters over and over again. She was taken to the hospital, where her parents were waiting. She had expected a rain of fire to come down on her after she had had all of the tests and scans done with. But her parents neither yelled nor screamed. They were disappointed, but they were just happy that she was okay. She was released from the hospital with only minor cuts and bruises.

"They grounded me for two months for disobeying them and took away my phone and my computer. They refused to buy me another car and I've been saving up for a new one ever since then. It's the only time I've ever been grounded." He nodded and she turned over on her stomach and looked at him,

"What?"

"Nothing."

No, tell me. You probably think I was a rebel, huh?" He laughed,

"Oh yeah, you were a real daredevil."

They both sat up as he asked,

"So how did you like your surprise?"

"It was amazing; I absolutely loved it." He smiled,

"Good."

She smiled as well and turned her attention to the sky. He followed her gaze, but didn't see anything; clouds had rolled in and covered the sky. She turned her attention back to him,

"It's getting late, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I better get you home before your parents start to worry."

She nodded and they stood up and started getting everything together. Ben grabbed the blanket and Allison grabbed the thermos and his book. They raced each other back to his truck, with Allison winning by a hair. She laughed and said,

"Oh, not so tough now, are you?" He laughed,

"No, I let you win. Look at this big blanket I'm carrying, you just barely beat me."

"Whatever." She pointed across the parking lot,

"I don't think you could catch me if I ran to that sign over there."

"Okay, let's try it. I'll even give you a three second head start."

"Oh, you're really going down now." He smiled,

"All right, on three; 1-2-3!"

She took off and he laughed, counting to three under his breath, and then racing after her. It only took him a couple of seconds to catch up to her. When he was about halfway to her, she looked over her shoulder and saw that he was about to catch her and she let out a little scream and tried to run faster. He smiled and eventually caught up to her. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and picked her up from behind. She let out another playful scream and started laughing. He spun her around and she continued to laugh as she said,

"Ben, put me down!" He spun her around one more time until he finally put her down. She turned towards him as he asked,

"I thought I was going down?"

"You were, but I decided to be nice and let you catch up with me."

"Oh, okay."

They both laughed as they walked back to the truck. As they approached it, he jogged in front of her and opened her door. She said thank you as he walked around and got in. On the way to her house, they talked and laughed and sang to the radio. Tomorrow was her church audition and he knew they would be crazy not to accept her.

"So are you ready for your audition tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I still haven't decided what song I'm going to sing yet and I'm nervous about it." He shook his head,

"You don't need to be nervous; you're going to be great. Do you have any songs you're thinking about singing?"

"I have two songs I'm trying to decide between; Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong and Revelation Song by Kari Jobe."

"Lead Me to the Cross is good; my mom used to listen to it all of the time. She loved Hillsong. I actually know how to play it on the guitar."

"No way." He laughed,

"Yeah, I can play a couple of more by them, too." She smiled,

"Wow, I'm impressed."

He laughed again and the passed the mini-mart and saw Allison's house coming up on the left. She turned to him,

"Didn't you say that you used to be a mechanic?"

"Yeah, before I joined the Air Force."

"Do you want to do me a huge favor?"

"Absolutely." She smiled

"Do you want to try to fix our car? It's been messing up for a while and my dad can't find anything wrong with it. We haven't had a chance to go and get it fixed." He smiled and nodded,

"Absolutely." She laughed,

"Really?"

"Yeah, why not? It's not safe to drive a car that needs fixing. Plus," He reached for her hand,

"I'll be spending time with you." She smiled,

"Do you want to come around nine?" He kissed her hand and smiled,

"Absolutely."

He pulled in the driveway and walked her up to the door. When they reached it, she turned to face him,

"Thank you for tonight, Ben." He smiled,

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

"I loved it."

He smiled again, knowing what she meant. He leaned in and kissed her and she smiled brought her hand up to his cheek and kissed him back. He put his forehead to hers and kissed her one more time before telling her goodnight. She turned and went inside and he walked off of the porch to his truck, knowing that no one in the world could be happier than him.


XD Hope you guys enjoyed it! I'm really really curious to see what you guys think about it! So, please, if you review any chapter, please review this one and tell me what you think! I really want this story to be the best it can be and your reviews help me so much and encourage me more than ya'll can imagine. Next update will be fast. Promise! :D