She always liked speed. She loved it when the wind was blowing through her golden locks. She loved it even more when she outran the crest of every wave. How she runs from here to there thinking every step is a contest. It was three in the afternoon on a Thursday when I first saw you. It was at a town festival, you were choking yourself with one hotdog after another hoping to beat all the other contestants that were twice your size but that never bothered you.

You finished third. You swore to everybody present there that you will crush them next year. You never showed up; not until three years later. Same town, same festival, same contest, same, competitors. The only difference is that you were grinning at me while you were holding your first place trophy.

~~~

Our classes starts at 7:30, one time I was to engrossed watching a couple of street performers that I almost missed my first class of the day. "Where were you?"

"I was watching something." I answered sheepishly, too embarrassed to even tell you that I was distracted by a group of girls performing like it was Broadway. You didn't whoop my that day for being too irresponsible. I wish you did because you ended up waiting for me for the rest of college while I was trying to play catch up with you. I wasn't aware that that would be our setting starting that day.

~~~~

I hated Mondays and you know that, so of course you chose that particular day to cut class and just go wherever. This time, I wasn't late. I was trying hard to climb the steep hill on my bicycle that was supposed to be our rendezvous point when you mindlessly passed by me.

" you." I said, puffing, after reaching the top.

"What?" I could already sense the frin that was trying to form in between your lips.

"You almost ran me over."

"No, I didn't." I rolled my eyes as I gestured to the poor bicycle I had.

"Oh," you said finally letting out a chuckle, "you need to stop taking that bike everywhere, babe. You gotta start growing some balls and try to actually drive your car that must be rotting now in your garage." You . You know that driving scares me, what if I step on the accelerator instead of the brakes?

~~~

You were a whirlwind, no ing doubt. You graduated as class valedictorian and I couldn't be more proud. At around late summer you received a letter from MIT granting approval for your research proposal about dark matter.

"You know you can come with me right? Harvard offered you an assistant professor slot." God knows how much I wanted to always be beside you but Cambridge is just too far away.

"I do. But it isn't for me. Besides, being in the middle of all the hustle and bustle doesn't suit me."

~~~

She was a whirlwind and I am the dust that has settled on furniture. Speed was suffocation for me, it created a vacuum that out oxygen from my lungs.

You named your fist Ducati, "Sonic" because you wanted to be as fast as lightning. And you were. You were lightning fast my bike and I barely kept up. But you ing piece of , you didn't brake fast enough to avoid that stupid tree near 34th. A velvet box slipping out your jacket as paramedics rushed to save you.

~~~

She always like speed with the orange sunset illuminating her silhouette. She always like speed with the roaring engine deafens the noise of the city. She always liked speed that her odometer quickly reached its maximum.

Six years have passed since you made me ride Sonic, not once did I go full throttle, maybe it's time I drove passed the speed limit too.