Random Stories (from wattpad prompts)

Love & Tragedy part 1

Short story inspired by a prompt found here https://my.w.tt/yJ8Zlhyv26  for the "Love in the time of Tragedy: Romance collab"  by Romance  and ChallengeCorner

I did not submit it, like I didn't submit all the other shorts in this collection, but I liked the prompt and wrote it nonetheless.

I wrote it a few days ago, it's not all I wanted it to be, but it got me into writing again, so I put it here.

Now, it begins:

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It was Friday night and they would meet, like they always did, to watch the game on tv, have a few beers together and talk like the good old friends they were.

Tonight it was Wei's turn to play the host. Everything was ready: the house was spotless, the fridge was full of the beers he had bought that morning and he had also prepared something to eat during the game. All of those things were Yunlan's favourites.

Ten years they had been friends, since their high school days, but things had changed since then and Wei could no longer pretend. A friendly night once a week was not enough anymore, he wanted more, he wanted to let him know what he really felt for him. It was risky, he knew it, but the time had arrived to man up and confess the truth.

He was in love with him and didn't want to hide it anymore, but despite his firm determination he still felt as nervous as he could possibly be.

Wei checked the time, Yunlan should arrive in half an hour. He took a deep breath trying to calm down and turned the television on. He switched through the channels then gave up and switched it off again. He wasn't even sure which game Yunlan wanted to watch tonight.

He drank a glass of water and waited impatiently, checking the clock every other minute.

Thirty minutes passed by and he became even more restless. Yunlan would be there any second now.

After five more minutes Wei checked his phone, but there were no messages. He compared the hour to his watch but they showed the same. It was already 7.35 pm. Had Yunlan changed his mind?

Yunlan was never late, but he would have called him if he had to cancel their game night.

7.40, Wei got up and opened the door taking a look outside; it was raining heavily so he went back in.

7.43, what could have happened? He began to worry, then he reminded himself that it was only a twenty minutes drive from Yunlan's house to his own; ten minutes on an easy, straight road then crossing the bridge he would find himself in town, and there was no traffic at that hour.

On a normal Friday night, Yunlan would have been there by 7.20, 7.25 at most. Now it was 7.50 already, what was delaying him?

Wei tried to call Yunlan but there was no answer. He turned the television on again to pass the time, but instead of switching it to the sports channel, he left it on the news.

He was barely paying attention when his eyes recognised something familiar. That was the bridge leading to his town, what was happening?

He raised the volume and listened with his heart in his throat to what the journalist had to say, while images of the collapsed bridge took all the air out of him.

The bridge had collapsed, one-third of it was missing, the railroad underneath it was full of debris and the reporter was talking of many casualties. He was explaining how it may have been caused by the storm, but nothing could be certain yet. Luckily no train was passing at that moment, but the only things Wei was selfishly interested in were the cars.

Had Yunlan made it to the other side? No, if that was the case he would have arrived already. Maybe he had remained stuck on the intact part of the bridge and couldn't reach him anymore, but why hadn't he called then?

Wei watched in horror as the news program aired a video made by a witness. A portion of the bridge had suddenly given up, maybe due to inadequate structural support, the reporter suggested, and the vehicles on it could not fight gravity and fell inevitably to their destiny.

Wei's eyes were glued to the screen, scanning every one of them to detect a familiar one, but it was too distant. Still, it caused his heart to cling on to this small hope: Yunlan wasn't there, there was still time, a chance to tell him what he really felt for him.

But all his hopes were shattered when he noticed something. The channel was now playing another video, over and over, giving him a closer view of the tragedy, and Wei saw a green car above the debris. He couldn't see the plate, but it looked just like Yunlan's car.

Wei tried calling again, but there was no answer. He found himself unable to breathe. That specific bridge, the time when it had happened, the green car, and the fact that Yunlan hadn't yet arrived and was unreachable, everything led him to believe that Yunlan was among the victims.

He tried to get up but his head started to spin and he fell back down on the couch. He needed air but the mental image of Yunlan's broken body shattered his soul and he could only gasp in desperation.

The reporter was finally getting closer, as much as it was allowed without getting in the way of the efforts of the rescue teams.

Wei watched in agony as the cameraman zoomed in and he saw a part of the green car's plate. Not all of it, but what he could see was the same as Yunlan's. There was also the big football sticker that Yunlan had put on the car door, and the seats seemed to have a green cover, the colour of Yunlan's favourite team.

It couldn't be a coincidence, it was just too much. That was Yunlan's car, he had been on that bridge when it collapsed, and that was why he wasn't answering his phone. He couldn't, and could never again.

Wei had never felt so sick in his life. It was over, he would never see him again and he had never told him that he loved him. He had thought he had all the time in the world, and in an instant he had been robbed of the love he had dreamed about for so long. There was no time left, he had lost him.

The reporter kept speaking.
"...no train was crushed by the collapsing... low traffic at this hour... few cars due to the heavy rain... miracle... uncertain how many casualties... teams searching..."

Wei couldn't really follow his words. Under different circumstances, he would have been relieved that no bus had been involved or that there were no trains at that moment. It could have indeed been much worse, but right now there was nothing more tragic for him than that one green car crashed down.

Wei stumbled into the kitchen, avoiding all the beer bottles and grabbing something stronger that he kept for himself. A bit of alcohol did him good, but nothing could truly calm him down until he could see Yunlan.

Whatever he may find, he had to at least say goodbye, see him one last time. With his phone in his pocket, he took his car keys and hurried out of the house.

He sat on the driver's seat and started the car, immediately recalling to mind all the times Yunlan had teased him.
You drive like my grandmother, he would tell him, and then he would laugh at his annoyed face.

What would he do now to hear him laugh again! To see the sparkle in his eyes whenever he made fun of him.

Wei never minded, of course, it was just friendly banter. On the contrary, he cherished those moments and how comfortable they were around each other. More than once that laugh had made his heart soar, and he couldn't even count how many times a simple talk on the phone had brightened his day. Yunlan always managed to make him smile, no matter what.

How could he ever smile again now? How could he live and breathe now that he would never hear his voice again?