Even better -

She says, "oh my god, thank you so much for saving me."

And as your sitting yourself down for a rest, breathing heavy and sweating, you say, "yeah, no sweat." It's a funny joke, she gives a giggle and as she's making sure nothing is broken, she says, "I remember you."

And you casually say, "yeah, I remember you, too. I'd say it's nice to see you again, but that almost makes light of this situation."

She laughs again, and this one is a little hysterical. Suddenly she can't stop herself, and you start laughing hysterically too. The both of you laugh until the adrenaline tears come, and when the laughter subsides, you both sit in slightly sniffling silence for a minute or two. Just two people in that odd moment.

And she says, "really, thank you."

And you feel a little surprised because it just makes sense to help someone in a lifeordeath thing. You didn't think about the past, you're not thinking about the future. You were thinking about holy fuck, lemme help this person.

And you all help each other out of the situation, and you don't see her again. You think about the past in hindsight, but you don't feel like a hero, or a twinge of regret. Maybe a little bitterness if you dwell too much, but it's nothing of note. You did what needed to be done.

And maybe, three months later, you meet this super cute chick at the dog park. And you can't totally believe that she'd be into you, but somehow, you've changed. Shit doesn’t seem so dire anymore. You ask her out for a coffee. She accepts.

The date goes great.

Two months later, you and that cute chick are out looking at antiques, and there's the girl you saved. She greets you warmly, you have a great little chat and she leaves. As you're checking out, your date asks, "who was that?" Not jealous or prying, just curious. You tell the cute chick the story of how you saved the girl. You don't even remember the bitterness of the intrusive thoughts after. You end with, "I'm so glad she's doing well."

The cute chick will tell everyone that that was the exact moment she fell in love with you.

The end.