Christian Larsen

The whole car ride was silent, except for the part when she asked me to order something because she had never been to Starbucks, so she didn't know what was good, and I ordered her a Vanilla Cream Frappuccino, her all-time smelling vanilla made me think she might like vanilla a lot, but I could be wrong. Her interest in vanilla made me remember something or rather someone.

  "I love vanilla flavor, chocolate is ew, vanilla is yum." She exclaimed.

 "But I thought everyone liked chocolate," she raised her eyebrows.

 "A girl in my class likes chocolate," I told her.

 "I don't want to fight with you. If you like chocolate, take all of mine and I won't say anything to anyone." She whispered the last part and grinned making her front bunny teeth visible.

 "You will give me all of your chocolates?"

 "Andre, who is our cook, makes excellent vanilla milkshakes, when you come to Boston, I'll ask him to make one for you," I told her and she grinned ear to ear.

A Starbucks employee, who passed us our beverages, praised us as an 'exemplary couple.' In response, she attempted to amend her statement, but I departed without further engagement. 

 "Why didn't you say anything?" she frowned and spoke exasperatedly. "I don't like to speak unnecessarily with anyone." That's true, but you're an exception, and talking about rectifying the statement, now why would I? She was right. We are an exemplary couple, or should I say 'future' exemplary couple. 

The rest of the car ride was full of silence as well, except for the part where Lucas Rodrigo called. 

 "Yo, where'd you disappeared to man? We saw you walking with Marshall, you with her right now?" Hearing her name from his filthy tongue made me kill him at that exact moment. "What do you want, Rodrigo?" My phone was connected to the car, and disconnecting it would've been weird, so I just kept talking. 

 "What? You going to fuck her or something? Don't forget to take the revenge for me, okay man?" My grip on the steering wheel tightened, and my knuckles turned white. I wasn't looking at her, but I could sense the discomfort just by how her breathing changed. I didn't say anything further and disconnected the call. 

As anger surged within me, it felt like a tempest brewing beneath the surface. The lines on my forehead deepened, etching the frustration that simmered beneath the stoic facade. My typically calm eyes ignited with an intense fire, a reflection of the inner turmoil that threatened to consume me. 

 "I'm sorry," She turned to me with a face that showed no emotion at all. Her eyes filled with distress and sadness, which is all because of Lucas. "He shouldn't have said that. I'll make him pay, don't worry." 

 "You don't have to do anything, it's fine. It wasn't your fault anyway." 

I don't care about anyone more than her, and he targeted her which means he'll have to pay for it and bear the consequences as well. 

 "Soften your grip, Christian." She spoke making me come out of the trance and realize that the steering wheel was all caught up with my anger and my knuckles turned white. I immediately loosened my grip and decreased my speed a bit. 

 "Will you be there tonight?"

 "I'll try to, yeah." I like it when she's talking back to me, and I hate how she quietly sits beside me right now, and it's all my fault. "Will you please drop me off at the diner?" I shook my head and did as she asked. 

She got out as soon as we reached, and thoughts got over me again, I was sitting looking straight with my fists tightly wrapped around the steering wheel, but something distracted me by the knock on the window.

Her.

She inclined towards me with her hands intertwined, resting against the car window frame, she was the simplest yet hottest girl I'd ever seen and she didn't even know.

 "Thanks for the drink, I love it." 

 "And I, you." 

 "Did you say something?" Shit, either she heard my thoughts or I didn't realize I said it out loud. 

 "No, no, nothing."

 "So, how much did the drinks cost?" Is she being for real? Why would she ask me that? Does she want to pay me back?

 "You don't have to pay me back? You don't owe me anything. The drinks were just in return for the help." 

 "I thought you were giving me an internship in return for the help." 

 "You helping me is top tier."