A Light in the Dark // Flicker Series Part I #wattys2019

Prologue

April 7th, 2017

5 years ago Evie and I first admitted that we liked each other.

We were best friends first. Had been since we were kids.

The weekend before we started our senior year of High School we decided to take one last camping trip of the summer, —probably the last summer we would have before we became adults.

After we packed up our camp site we drove to the lookout point and I parked my truck in the perfect spot to watch the sunset. I turned the radio up so it was playing softly through the rolled down windows and I dropped the tailgate and that's where we sat.

I think we found the highest peak in Tennessee or at least that's what I told her just to see that smile wash over her face as she giggled.

We talked about any and everything, specifically what the next few years of our life would look like and without warning all of the feelings I had been trying to ignore for the last few years came surfacing with an impenetrable force.

I asked her what she wanted her life to look like after graduation and without hesitation, she leaned her head of perfectly wavy blonde hair onto my shoulder and said "I don't know but I hope you're in it."

After that moment there was no going back for me. I fell deeper and deeper in love with her every day, and as we entered our college years we pretty much had everything planned the way we wanted it. We would graduate college, I would finish MED school and then we would get married. Happily Ever After.

That's what I thought anyway.

She graduated, top of her class and immediately found the most amazing job working for a fellow graduate and budding musician, Beck Avery.

I was still in medical school at the time and always swamped with homework, not leaving much time for us to actually see each other.

One night, we finally had a chance to spend some time together for the first time in weeks and I was determined to make the most of it. I needed her that night. I missed her terribly, and I was excited to unwind with her a little.

I came to her place and started cooking dinner for the two of us so it would be ready when she got home from work.

While I was waiting I popped open one of the beers from the case I brought over for us. I had never been a huge drinker until this point, but we were celebrating that night so a little alcohol was reasonable. My parents never drank so I knew they would be disappointed with me if they knew, but in recent months it seemed that it was the only thing that could take the edge off my stress from school.

A large span of time has passed since I first arrived at Evie's house that afternoon. The sun had set, the food I prepared would now have to be reheated, and the candle sticks I lit at the time I expected her to get home had long melted down to short stems.