Bittersweet Honey

17. No Sleep

Toni.

"There's a girl down in the valley
Says we can take it slow.
Or we can push fast forward on it
Love, success, and rock n' roll."

-Caamp

     I walk around the hotel like he instructed. And it takes me a second to find him. He's driving a deep blue, shiny Aston Martin, and I have to mentally prepare myself for a fast drive. I recognize his face, even if he is wearing sunglasses and a baseball hat. He waves at me when he sees me, and makes the engine roar a couple times. I find that obnoxious, and a little tacky, but I get on with it and open the door to the passenger's seat.

     "G'day, Toni. How are you today?" Daniel greets with that warm smile of his.

     "Hi, Daniel. I'm good! It's good to see you." I look over to him and smile back. He leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek, and I flinch a little, I guess I'm still a little nervous to be around him sometimes.

     "I missed you." He says with a funny note to it.

     "You saw me yesterday." I answer laughing.

     "Doesn't matter." He sighs as he takes off his sunglasses. I can't handle the way he looks a me.

     "I...uh...where are we going?" I ask, trying not to sound too awkward.

     "I said no questions, Toni Faye." He teases and revs the engine again, making me jump a little.

     "Fine." I give up, and hang on to the side of the door.

     "Don't be afraid Toni." Daniel says calmly.

     "I'm not. I'm not afraid." Big lie. I'm terrified. But I would be lying if I didn't feel excited about today. Being in a completely new place, and to discover it with Daniel, who is basically at home, I think the season is off to a pretty good start.

     He presses a button on the stereo and classic rock plays loudly. I don't even mind asking him to drive slowly, there's really no traffic on the street, and he has this sparkle in his eyes framed by strong eyebrows that makes me look at him from the corner of my eye a couple times.

     "Holy mother..." I mutter, cutting him off from singing along to Bon Jovi. He laughs loudly at my reaction to his fast-and-furious-like driving skills.

     "Relax Toni, remember what I do for a living?" He questions sarcastically as he puts his hand on my knee and I actually let him.

     "I know, I know, just...ay Dios!" I exclaim as he makes a sharp turn.

     "Oh my God, Toni, don't do that." He blurts out, leaving me confused.

     "Don't do what? I'm not the one driving like a psycho-"

     "No! I mean don't speak in Spanish, everything sounds sexier in Spanish." He says with a heavily flirty and frustrated tone. I didn't think it would have such an impact on him. So I decide to tease him just a little.

     "No soy yo la que maneja como loca." I say. Which is the last phrase I was trying to say when he was driving incredibly fast. And I can see him squirm a bit in his seat and he gives my knee a firm, teasing squeeze.

     Melbourne is absolutely stunning, so bright and colorful. It has been barely 7 minutes when we arrive at the beach. He's just looking for a parking spot now.

     "That was fast. We could've walked." I reckon.

     "I wanted to impress you with my driving skills." He says after winking an eye at me and clicking his tongue. Normally I would roll my eyes at such conceited attitude, but I do it playfully, because I know he loves to joke around. The beach is relatively empty, and there's a beautiful boardwalk, a long pier, and a lot of nice-looking restaurants. I can even see a small amusement park from here.