The movie ended and Dan and Cheryl found themselves searching for something to say to each other. The opposition between the couple remained strong as Dan fought desperately to make conversation with Cheryl, and Cheryl hoped he wouldn't say a word.
"The movie was good," Dan said, despite having no idea what it was about.
"Yea, it wasn't too bad," Cheryl guessed.
The silence continued to dominate as neither knew what could be said to overcome the wall that stood in between them.
"I'm really glad we went out tonight."
"Yea... Me, too," Cheryl lied.
Dan put his arm around Cheryl's shoulders and felt her tense up, almost as though a complete stranger was grabbing her. That's what they had become to each other. Complete strangers. They didn't know each other anymore. They didn't know what they wanted from each other or out of life. But they were both starting realize that they wanted something different.
Dan brought his arm back by his side.
"Well, I guess I'll take you home now."
Cheryl faked a smile. Dan saw it.
As usual, the ride home would be long. In fact, it would be the longest ride home either of them could have ever imagined.
Despite everything that had happened in the last few hours, Dan was stilled worried about Cheryl, and naturally, he wanted to comfort her.
"Are you ok?"
"Yea, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes Dan, I'm fine!" She contiuned sarcastically, "There are no problems at all."
"Ok... Why don't you just tell me what the problem is instead of acting like a bitch about it? I'm not looking for a fight with you. In fact, this may come as a surprise, but I really want things to work out between us, even though I'm not so sure you do."
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Like every problem we have is my fault?"
"No, Cheryl, I don't believe I said that. But I'm actually trying to figure what the hell has been bothering you for the last two weeks, and all I get is your typical sarcastic attitude, insinuating that I am the blame for every horrible thing that ever happens in your life."
"Will you please pay attention? Maybe you haven't noticed, but you are still driving a car, and you're not the only person on the road."
"Oh how nice of you; teaching me how to drive. What would I do without you?"
"And you have the nerve to call me sarcastic."
"Well, fuck Cheryl! You're treating me like I mean absolutely nothing to you. I mean, if this is the case I guess I can't change that, but tell me the truth. Do you want this to be over? Do you want to live your life without me in it?"
She paushed for a moment before responding, then quietly said, "We've been together so long, Dan. Don't you want to try living your life with someone else?"
"No, Cheryl, I don't." His voice was loud, but he wasn't yelling. "I've actually been quite happy in our relationship. I have no desire to lose you, and to be completely honest, I don't think I really want to keep living if you're gone. I don't want to go on like that; not without you."
"Oh, Dan, give me a break. When was the last time you even told me you loved me? ...Holy shit! What the hell is wrong with you!? Why would you slam on the breaks like that in the middle of the street?"
His voice was quiet and slightly shaking, "If you ever actually listened when I talk, you would know how much I love you. But you don't, so you have no idea just how much I really do love you. But you; you have proven to me so many times that I'm shit on the ground you walk on. And that's fine; it really is. I can't change that about you, but maybe you just aren't worth it."
"Dan!"
He didn't respond. His mind drifted away and buried itself in a mountain of anger and hatred. He couldn't grasp how someone he loved so much could hurt him the way Cheryl had.
It began to rain and Dan began to accelerate. He and Cheryl both noticed how empty the town began to look. She looked over at Dan and saw a look on his face she had never seen before. He looked dazed and unaware. He seemed fearless and insensible. His right hand had been in his pocket since they'd left the theatre, and it was obvious to Cheryl that he had been holding something the whole time.
Grabbing the hand rest on the side of the door, she prepared herself for the worst. She knew this would never come to a simple end, and as the rain increased, her fear evolved.
Dan quickly accelerated again then slammed on his breaks as he whipped his SUV around the corner. Cheryl held the door as tightly as she could as tears began to fall from her eyes.
Within moments, the SUV was fishtailing out of control. Dan was still driving with one hand as the other gripped the secret note in his pocket. Knowing he had to gain control, he took his hand out of his pocket.
"Here," he handed Cheryl the note.
"Dan, please. We're gonna die!"
"Just take the fucking paper!" He yelled.
Cheryl took it and Dan began to fight the slick streets to regain control of his car. It was the only vehicle on the street, but they were in more danger than they could have ever imagined.
Dan continued to slam on the breaks and turn the wheel in order to overcome the fishtailing, but the streets were too slick. The tires weren't spinning, but the car was completely out of his control. Cheryl was in a panic and began to scream at Dan to stop the car.
"Dan, stop the car! Please, Dan! Please!"
"I'm trying to!" He yelled. "The ground is too slick."
They were both terrified. The tires began to squeal and as Dan looked up, he realized he wasn't the only car on the street anymore. He saw the headlights of the car about to cross the intersection and instantly decided to turn the wheel as hard as he could to the left, hoping it would spin out before it reached the intersection.
The SUV spun one time around before the six seconds of hell Dan and Cheryl had experienced came to an abrupt end. Lightening filled the sky and as thunder struck, the spinning SUV entered the intersection at the sane time as the crossing car. It hit the driver's side dead on and sent the giant truck flipping down the street. After four flips, the vehicle finally stopped moving, as it lay upside down.
Silence conquered the night again. Off in the distance sirens could faintly be heard, but there were no voices speaking, or hearts beating. The cars were mangled but still. The rain continued to poor.
After several minutes, Cheryl opened her eyes. She looked around and finally saw Dan, his bloody body motionless and silent.
"Dan?" Cheryl said, nearly in a whisper.
He didn't respond.
"Dan? Dan, are you ok?" She continued to ask, waiting impatiently for a response.
"Dan!" Her voice began to rise as the fear of losing him set in. "Dan! Answer me! Please, Dan! Please don't do this to me. Please, Dan!" She was crying.
"Ma'am, stay calm. We're gonna get you out right away."
The sound of the paramedic brought a sense of security to Cheryl, but she couldn't help thinking that Dan was dead. He hadn't responded in anyway. The whole time he was motionless. The car that hit them connected exactly where Dan sat, and the blood that covered his body gave no hope of him surviving.
Within a few minutes, Cheryl was out of the car, watching as they struggled to get Dan's limp body out of the wreckage. The entire driver's side of the car was smashed in, and the door was no longer functioning. The paramedics worked diligently to remove Dan through the window. After a few minutes, he was free. The paramedics immediately started CPR and Cheryl began to cry hysterically.
She loved him. Even after everything that had happened, she never stopped loving him.
The paramedics continued their attempts at reviving him, but after several tries, it began to look hopeless. Cheryl looked up and saw a sheet being put over his body. Suddenly, her world had disappeared.
He was gone. She had pushed him so far away that he ended up dying. Dan's love depreciated to Cheryl, and hers disappeared to him. After all the pain they had gone through that day, she finally got what she wanted. Only now, she begged and pleaded for him to come back.
She was out of control and in a state of complete shock. All she wanted was for Dan to put his arm around her, like the way he did when she cringed, or for him to tell her he loved her, like the way he did when she questioned him. All she wanted was Dan like the way he wanted her. But Dan was gone. She had lost him forever.
Cheryl cried hysterically for nearly a half hour before she was able to control herself again. She was sitting on the wet ground with a blanket wrapped around her. The rain continued to poor, as well as Cheryl's tears. Soaking wet, she remember the paper that Dan had handed her only seconds before his death.
She thought back to how horribly she had treated him the last two weeks, but especially that day. She thought back to all the times Dan insisted he loved her more than life, and all the times she questioned him. Cheryl had selfishly ruined the greatest thing in her life, and now all she had left was a piece of paper that she feared reading.
As the lightening lit up the sky, Cheryl opened the note. Through her tears and the rain, she read the words Dan had written just a few hours earlier. In shock, she began to cry uncontrollably again. This was all her fault, and Dan had known it.
The note only had one sentence on it, but it was a sentence so full of truth, it was fatal.

Without your love, I would die.