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Clyde was sick of it all. Sick of the rain. Sick of the snow. Sick of melted sludge the snow and the mud formed together. Now flooding and water main breaks from the constant freezing and refreezing. He loved West Virginia, and he had to admit it sure was awfully pretty when it snowed, but there was a reason winter was his least favorite season.
Clyde was a little frustrated on his drive home - he'd had to close the bar early again, the third time this month, all because of the water going out again. Thankfully he had a short drive home, and he was looking forward to getting in some reading time before he had to go to bed, but the flashing lights up ahead seemed to have another idea in store. As Clyde approached the fire truck, he slowed down and rolled down his window to speak to the approaching man.
"Everything alright?" He asked, head tilted slightly out the window.
"Water line break, just up ahead." The man answered, tilting his head in the direction Clyde had been driving. "You can get through but you'll have to go on the opposite side of the road and through a little bit of standing water. Truck of yours should be alright though. Head on around, just be careful. Have a good evenin'!" The man spoke again cheerfully as he stepped away, waving Clyde forward and towards the flashing lights. Clyde nodded his head and returned the man's smile, pulling away as he rolled his window up.
Navigating forward, Clyde squinted against the flashing lights on the emergency vehicles. He didn't have problems with his eyes, but bright flashing lights in the pitch dark was enough to scramble anyone's vision a little bit, so he breathed a small sigh of relief once he passed the trucks and pulled back towards his side of the road.
Clyde was just about to increase his speed and be back on his way when a loud thud echoed out, something slamming against the side of his truck.
"What the hell...?" Clyde muttered to himself, head pivoting to see if he could find the source of the noise. He didn't think it was a deer, but he knew better than anyone that those sneaky critters could leap outta the woods anywhere and catch people by surprise. His hand grasped the door handle, preparing to climb out of the truck when a small brunette appeared in his window. She was speaking, but Clyde couldn't hear her at first. As he opened the door, he was met with a flurry of words, her hurried speech coming out faster than he could process.
"It's ok! I'm ok! I'm fine! That's live TV for ya, never know what's gonna happen! We're all good here! I'm ok!" The small woman said, glancing back and forth between him and the equipment on the ground she was attempting to pick up.
"Miss, are you...? Did I hit you?" Clyde spoke, fear in his voice as his mind caught up with what he was seeing unfold before him.
The woman was still a flurry of activity before him, speaking just as fast but now looking ahead at a phone on a tripod, speaking rapidly into the ring light surrounding it as if he wasn't even there. Clyde watched in amazement as she smoothed out her coat, gave a bright smile to the camera, and continued discussing the scene behind her with the broken water line and fire trucks.
"So as you just saw Poe, the flashing lights behind me are certainly making things a little difficult for the drivers in the area. In addition to the water break making travel difficult, the flashing lights have also proven to be a distraction for many drivers. However, Fire Chief Finn Storm is here on the scene and has assured me that the road should be cleared up by tomorrow, just in time for the upcoming weekend! Back to you in the studio, Poe & Kaydel!"
After signing off, the woman switched off the ring light, finally turning her attention to Clyde, a bewildered look still etched across his face.
"Hi! Uh. So. Yes. You kind of hit me with your car. But I promise, I'm fine! Are you OK?"
"I'm fine, miss. Just worried about you is all. It seemed like you went down pretty hard there...." Clyde spoke again, concern in his voice. The woman ran her hands across her torso and sides, inspecting the muddy clothes before speaking again.
"Yeah.....I think so. I'm not bleeding, so at least there's that!" She chuckled. Clyde chuckled with her, amused at her sense of humor towards the whole situation. "Oh, I'm Rey, by the way."
"Clyde. Clyde Logan. Pleasure to meet ya, miss Rey." He extended his hand out, clutching Rey's small hand in his large paw. "I'm so sorry, I just. I don't know, I didn't even see ya there. I can't believe I did that."
"I promise, it's ok. Really! You barely tapped me, and I think it just startled me more than anything. I jumped and that caused me to stumble and fall. Truly though, I think I'm ok."
"Ok.....if you're sure....damn I'm really sorry. I'm so glad you're ok. Can I take you anywhere? To the hospital to get checked out or something? It sure would make me feel a lot better to know you're ok."
"No, no. I don't think that's necessary. Really. But if it makes you feel better, I promise I'll get checked tomorrow if I feel sore or notice anything weird at all?"
"Alright....I guess. As long as you promise." He said with a stern voice.
"Promise. Cross my heart!" Rey grinned as she made the X motion across her chest.
"Can I at least get ya a drink? I own a bar about two miles back. I can get ya warmed up at least?"
"Uh. Yeah, sure. That sounds great, Clyde." Rey wasn't sure what possessed her to answer yes. If she was reading about this in a book or watching it unfold on TV, she'd be screaming at the person to not go off with someone they just met.
At night.
In the dark.
On a practically deserted country road.
Clyde's presence was instantly comforting to her, though. He seemed to radiate warmth and kindness, and Rey felt safe with him by her side. Not to mention that he was big. At least 6 feet tall, and a broad chest and shoulders. He looked as if he could wrestle a bear to the ground and not break a sweat, even with the missing hand she saw from the corner of her eye.
Clyde helped Rey gather up her things and led her around to the side of his truck, making sure she was settled before closing the door and climbing back in on his side. Once they arrived back at the bar, Clyde led Rey inside and dug out his stash of antibacterial wipes, helping her clean the mud and grime off of her hands and clothes before they both sat at the bar, two steaming mugs of cider sat in front of them. The conversation flowed easily between the two, Clyde telling Rey about his time in the military and losing his hand, while Rey shared the story about how she moved to the US in college after growing up in the system in the UK, and about how she now had her dream job as a news anchor for the local broadcast station.
Before either of them realized, their legs had become intertwined beneath the bar as they leaned into each other, the sun slowly rising outside.
"Oh, uh....looks like we've sat here all night chatting away." Clyde spoke with a laugh. "You're very easy to talk to miss Rey." Her cheeks flushed red as Clyde smiled down at her.
"You are too Clyde." She grinned as her hand reached out to squeeze his upper thigh. "I don't remember the last time it was this easy for me to talk to someone."
"Me either." He agreed quietly.
The two slowly moved closer together, gazing into each other's eyes before Rey glanced down to Clyde's plush lips. When she brought her eyes up to meet his again, he closed the small space left between them and let his lips meet hers, softly pressing against them. They stayed like that for a moment, foreheads pressed together as they breathed each other in before Clyde spoke softly.
"I hope that was ok...." He whispered, a touch of nervousness in his voice.
"It was. It definitely was." Rey spoke, hoping Clyde could hear the smile in her voice.
After that, the two pulled apart, cheeks flushed and smiles stretched across their faces. Phone numbers were exchanged, more soft kisses were snuck in, and Clyde watched from the porch of the bar as the cab Rey had called pulled away with her in the back. They had already made plans to meet that evening in town to have dinner, and Clyde knew deep down that this was just the first of many meals and sleepless nights that he'd be sharing with this new Rey of sunshine in his life, and he looked forward to every single one to come.