TWICE // D.S.

TWENTY

"wouldn't it just be easier to go and see them now?" aubrielle asked on the passenger seat of her car

"wait, you want to meet them?" daniel asked, taking a left turn at the yellow arrow, glancing at aubrielle and james from the rearview mirror before landing his gaze back on the road.

"well, yeah. just to get it over and done with, this way there's actually a point to you taking me home" aubrielle explained, "now you have to take an uber home" she added

"i don't mind taking an uber home" he admitted with a shrug, "plus, i enjoy taking you home. maybe this way you'll let me stay with james while you work?" he suggested

"right, you're lucky i stayed because i wasn't able to finish yesterday's so now i have more work to do" the girl explained

"wow? me? lucky? im honored" he responded

"sarcasm noted"

"no, no, no, I'd actually consider myself lucky especially because for some reason I'm the only guy you talk to? what was that about earlier?" daniel asked, remembering aubrielle's words from when they were eating wings; their postmates. he had noticed that she was very open that day, so he wondered if she was getting comfortable with him? or was it that she shared what she was most vulnerable? rejection. or was it because james was there? and maybe she felt more comfortable with him there. it was all a bunch of questions to him but he enjoyed it, not the questions but that she was feeling comfortable.

"it was the truth" the girl shrugged, "i only talk to them because of you, if i never met you i wouldn't have talked to them so i don't count that. you're the only guy i talk to, the only one i'll willingly talk to" she explained, sending him a smile

"well I'm glad, and also thank you"

"about what?"

"you smiled at me, and i know it was at me because james is in the backseat" daniel explained, sending her a smirk, before getting out the the car. aubrielle sat there for a moment, narrowing her eyes, almost like she was in shock that she'd smiled at him? or was it the way he responded with his smirk? one of the two got her thinking, "you gonna get out?" he asked, opened the backseat, the side james was on.

aubrielle mumbled a response, before getting out and taking james from daniel to hold along with a bag that filled with diapers, wipes, a teething toy, a bottle filled with breastmilk, and a now empty container that was filled with cut up bananas. he got the car seat and locked the car before he took the bag from aubrielle with his empty hand and made their way upstairs, "we're not taking the elevator" she mumbled, when she noticed that daniel had taken a sharp turn.

"why not?" he asked, still walking to the elevator doors. aubrielle didn't feel like talking loudly since there were people nearby and she had to actually see them every once in a while, so she walked closer to daniel, "i win"

"no, you didn't. we're taking the stairs, c'mon" she insisted, slightly grabbing the car seat to pull daniel with her, "we'd already be at my apartment if we just took the stairs in the first place" she groaned slightly.

"then what better way to make up time then to take the elevator" daniel insisted, clicking the elevator button to call one down, "wow, look at that an empty one, for us"

"the elevators take longer" aubrielle said, "it'll be faster on the stairs"

daniel had put the car seat in the way to hold the elevator open, "no, this way is faster, less effort too" he said, "you'd have to walk all the way back to the staircase"