NYC Midnight - Flash Fiction Challenge

Round I - Inescapable Destiny

Synopsis:

Racing for a pivotal encounter, arriving late means Anika’s first love could be her last loss. A life of adventure awaits - will the lovers rendezvous transpire?

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The car engine revved, its hum synchronised with Anika’s heartbeat. She was stuck in traffic moments away from the marina and her impatience grew.

She was under immense pressure to meet Nathan. Years passed since they had spent so much time together, but the feelings between the two never changed; the atmosphere was thrilling. Life was the enemy of their love, causing a great chasm in time and space to grow between them.

There was precious little time for her to reach his location. Her phone was dead, she had no way to contact him. Their last conversation was tense, this liaison was going to define their future.

‘I should’ve replied last night.’ She thought, ‘why’d I ignore him?’.

Suddenly, Anika pulls her car to the side of the road and jumps out, she runs towards the marina in the distance.

Nathan paced anxiously atop newly replaced wooden boards. The gentle sound of water laps beneath his feet. He wonders whether he will see Anika, after multiple attempts to call her result in failure.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have given her an ultimatum?’. He questioned his mind, but not his heart. ‘It was the right thing to do.’

He was fatigued from all the conversations and lack of development in their relationship. It was clear they both were passionately in love. But historical relationships meant they danced cautiously around their emotions.

‘This woman’s always got me on edge. I want nothing more than to spend every possible moment with her, kissing her, caressing her, and laughing as though there’s no care in the world. But she blows hot ‘n’ cold, I’m not sure my heart can take it. This must be our final chance… I need to move on!’

Anika tasted the salt air, signifying how much closer she was to the waterside. The wind blew firmly against her dress, gathering air, making a difficult run ever more strenuous. But she knew Nathan was worth the effort and continued with vigour.

‘Plastic flamingo! Plastic flamingo! Plastic flamingo!’ she repeated in her head.

This was the landmark Nathan told her to meet. She reminisced about a time more than a decade ago. It was a location of considerable significance, it marked where they had their first kiss.

Although she had not been to the dockside in many years, the memory was vivid. It was not only their first kiss; it was her first ever kiss.

It was a hot summers day and Anika felt as though she had physically melted when their lips touched, and he held her lovingly in his arms. That initial embrace was to spark a deep love that neither of them could shake, no matter the direction life had tossed and flung them.

Nathan looks at his watch, disappointment starts to creep ominously up his body from the soles of his feet. They begin to drag along the wooden slats and the sounds of the seagulls overhead irritate his soul. Angry, he uses all his self-control to refrain from throwing his silent mobile at the innocent animals, his emotions are running high. When it came to Anika his countenance was always turbulent, she roused all his feelings. It was a life filled with passion, pain, and desire.

Anika arrives, looks at her watch, she is sweaty, and dishevelled in her appearance. She turns to the nearest reflective surface and frantically attempts to tidy herself. ‘This actually ain’t important, let me find him first.’

She starts to jog, a panicked expression takes hold of her, the area she once knew is completely transformed. There is far more activity with a bustling social area boasting live music, a shopping complex, winery’s, bistros, and other big city amenities. Worst of all, as she scans around, she notices that the once derelict and desecrated plastic flamingos were all restored. They were strewn around the entire port and her memory was not as clear as she thought. With the new layout, she cannot remember where the lone plastic flamingo once stood as a monument to their love.

Tears well up in her eyes, her vision becomes blurry. She realises the massive mistake she had made by not responding to Nathan.

‘Dad always said stubbornness would be my downfall.’ Anika quickly wipes her face, admitting defeat was not an option. ‘Why do I do this? It was my fault we parted on bad terms the last time and look; I’ve repeated the same stupid mistake. But… I’ll find him!’

‘I guess she made her decision.’ Nathan looks at his phone, his watch, and the clock tower, certain that one of them must be wrong. He was due to leave the dock an hour earlier with his boat, destined to sail the worlds waterways. After his marriage broke down, he decided it was time to pursue his dreams.

‘I’ve always been waiting for yah, Neeks. I can’t wait any more.’

He reflects over the seven years of marriage. Although a great husband, his wife felt the presence of another woman. Her intuition was right. Anika dwelt in his heart presently. As committed as he was, it was as though he was always looking for escape. The marriage ended on amicable terms. Nathan felt remorseful for dragging his wife through a façade of a relationship. There was only one woman he truly wanted, loved, coveted, and lusted for.

He hesitantly boards his boat and releases the mooring, ‘If I can’t be with you, then, I’ll happily exist, alone. Get out of my head… leave my heart!’ Nathan implores.

Anika desperately searches through the lively crowds ‘Where is he?’, she struggles. She finally remembers ‘the plastic flamingo opposite the old ice cream parlour.’

She fights to grasp it. A quick scan when she arrives, and she falls to her knees “I’m too late!” She collapses, unable to breathe… dying.

A familiar, masculine figure forces through the masses. Nathan outstretches his hand, gazing deeply into Anika’s sorrowful eyes and with a tender voice says, “I forgot something… You!”