Circles and Rings

He sat there with circles under his eyes and rings around the table where his coffee cup had sat. Tilda's was the only place open at such an hour. The diner was as dark as his circles and as empty as the rings. He sat there listening to the wind whistle outside as it beckons everyone indoors. He wondered if she'd ever walk through those doors.

They met at Tilda's months before. She had sat at the bar with her burgundy hair flowing as she laughed with no intention to stop. It sounded like a piano and as the crescendo hit, he melted. He didn't know her name, he didn't know her at all. But he had already fallen in love with that sound.

After the realization hit, he stood up and walked to her. He excused himself and asked for her name and began the conversation that started it all. That was 4 months ago.

Today was their anniversary and here he sat waiting. He had been waiting for her for hours. He held his cigarette pack and flipped as he heard the tiny M&M's tumble. He remembers the day she changed him.

A week after their first introduction, Brian met Amy at the mall. He stood outside leaning against a pillar, smoking his cigarette. Amy walked up infuriated with this adorable pout and a walk that could shake the world. She got right in his face, inches from his nose and grabbed the cigarette from his lips. She kissed him and replaced something so dangerous with something so sweet. From that day on, he carried around the same cigarette box with M&M's. Reminding himself of that very day.

She continued to make the same bold moves every chance she got. Demanding to drive to keep him around the speed limit, giving him a list to follow at the grocery store so he didn't come home with junk. He would purposefully, playful rip off the labels just to watch her struggle. And as she turned yet another unlabeled can of soup over in her hand, he would wait for that pout to come out. He thought it was cute how in control she thought she was. When really, she would have been even without that cute pout she thought was menacing.

Amy had been everything he was searching for. She gave him direction, motivation and support. And today was the day, he was going to ask the question.

A piece of strawberry pie was waiting on the table across from him with just the right dollop size of whipped cream. And placed perfectly on top of that dollop was the ring. A single solitaire meant for the woman he loved.

And she wasn't there. He had specifically told her that today was a big day. They knew where to meet. He had been acting off for weeks, nervous about today and he knew she picked up on it. So where was she?

Just then his phone rang. He found out that she had been in a car crash driving out of the city and died on the scene. His world shattered, Where was she going? She was driving the wrong way? Was she running? Maybe the past 4 months, meant nothing to her.

He threw the plate of pie against the wall as the waitress screamed. He left money and ran out of Tilda's as fast as he could. She hadn't loved him. All this time, he had been alone, in an unrequited crush on a woman who couldn't have destroyed him more. Tonight, the world felt just as empty as the rings on the table and as dark as the circles under his eyes.