***This one's only a thousand words. See what I mean? Loose nature <3***

***(Jay's POV)***

Oh, gosh. What have I done?

"Nya!" I yell, making a run for where she stands on the train tracks.

I'm an idiot. I messed this up so bad. I shouldn't have just come out with the information that I knew her identity – I should've developed some sort of a relationship first, then told her once she trusted me.

But...to me, we already had a relationship. I've been making small talk with her and ordering her coffee for a year and a half now. I was even getting up the guts to ask her out, but it never seemed like the right time. Besides, instead of getting out the words "will you go out with me", it'd probably sound more like "I love you".

I'm so stupid.

Her eyes bug as the train comes within twenty feet of her, and I know what's coming next. I'll never reach her in time. I hold out my arms with some wild hope that I can save her, that I can shove her out of the way, but I know it's too late. I've just now crossed the street to the train tracks.

I was going to marry her.

Okay, I know that sounds crazy, but...something happened when I met her. I can't explain it – I'm not Cupid. Maybe it's because I'm such a romantic, but it felt like love at first sight.

I already had our lives planned out and everything – two kids, or as many as she wanted to have. A little house by the roadside – nothing too fancy. I don't think she's into fancy. I'd give her backrubs when she was tired or sore and take her on picnics when the weather was just right. In fact, I'd pull real-life ideas from all the romance novels I write and make her as happy as I could.

And her? She'd enjoy every second of it. She wouldn't care that I was raised on a junkyard or that I can be silly and stupid and annoying. None of that would matter, since she'd know the real me, and the real me would be perfect for her.

I guess I tend to get carried away, but I can't help the way I feel.

As I watch in horror, the train now hardly ten feet away, she lurches backwards, pulling herself off tracks that are suddenly hidden by a barreling locomotive.

I have no idea whether she made it or not, and this train has as many cars as the eye can see. I can't get around it to see if she's all right.

My breathing ragged, I think of any way I can see if she's on the other side of the tracks. I'm out of ideas, though – when it's Jay Walker versus a locomotive, I'm pretty sure Jay Walker loses.

But I can now see the end of the train in sight.

I start running for the last car, just so I can try to get around it faster and make it to the other side. I have no idea whether this will save me any time or not – probably not – but it soothes a need deep inside me to do something.

I reach the last car, and as soon as it's out of the way, I jump over the rattling train tracks to the other side and frantically look around.

I can't exactly tell, but it looks like up ahead, there's a figure in a heap on the ground.

I can only hope it's not a dead heap.

I make a sprint for the person I can only imagine is her. "Please don't be dead," I beg her under my breath. "Please don't be dead. Do it for Jay Junior – I mean, he hasn't been born yet, but he will be eventually! As long as you're not dead..."

I finally reach her, collapsing on my knees and placing my hands on either of her cheeks. "Oh, my gosh." I study her frozen face. "Are you okay?"

She blinks clouded eyes and looks at me, releasing a shaky breath. "The train?"

I sigh with relief. "It didn't get you. You're okay." I wrap her in a tight hug.

She exhales. "Who...who are you?"

I tuck her chin under my head. "I think I'm your future husband."

"What?" She shakes her head. "I can't hear you very well. The train was really loud."

I sputter, increasing my volume so she can hear me cover my faux pas. "Oh, um, I'm...just your average romance-writing, coffee-serving criminal justice major." I pull back from our embrace, running my hands over her face, her neck, her arms. "You've got a lot of scrapes and bruises."

"I don't care. I could've died." She shakily rises to her feet, and I hold her arms, standing with her. I position myself so I have one hand around her waist – I can't seem to let her go after all that happened.

"Why did you come after me?" she asks, stumbling as we walk over the train tracks she was almost crushed on.

I steady her footing. "What do you mean? Because if you're asking why I came to check if you were all right, any decent human being would do that."

"No. Why did you try to return my purse earlier? You could've used it for evidence in my missing persons case or..."

"Or your criminal charges?"

She puffs out a breath. "Yeah, I guess you know about those."

"But I don't care about them."

"Look, Jay – that's your name, right? Sorry, but my brain is kind of on overload right now."

"It's Jay."

"Okay, Jay. I know turning me in will help establish you in the criminal justice field before you're even done with college. Is that what you plan to do with me?"

"No. I'm going to take you back to my apartment, clean up your cuts and scrapes, and get your story."

"You have a job at the café. You're supposed to be on break right now."

"I don't care. I'll call off. That scared the life out of me."

She shakes her head. "Why do you even care, though? Why – "

"We're friends." And I'm in love with you, but I'm saving that for later. "What matters right now is that you're safe, Nya."