A Stranger To Him

Twenty-one, A motorcycle for my sixteenth birthday

Caine turns his black car in the right direction, following my instructions on how to get to my house. He's focused on the road, finally doing what I told him to do. I suppose he sensed how uncomfortable I was feeling. I guess he realized how terrified I am of being in a car accident again. Luckily, he doesn't ask me anything about it. He doesn't bring up anything related to that topic.

It's still raining, but the rain shower is not as heavy as it was. The wind is still strong, though. I can hear the sound of the heavy windflaws from inside the car. Hopefully, the trains will not be canceled tomorrow because of the consequences of the storm. There's a big chance I'll have to ask someone to drive me to school, or I'll have to stay home. Maybe, my mom can give me a ride to school. She has to be in town anyway.

It's quite warm inside the car, and I'm already warmed up a lot. My clothes are a little less soaked, but they're still cold. He even turned up the seat heating for me when he realized how cold I was. It's weird how the temperature dropped so instant and fast. This afternoon it was still summer weather, and now it almost feels like extreme fall weather. It's probably so cold because of the storm.

"You have to turn left into the first street after the intersection," I say, pointing at the road while we're stopping at the intersection. It's pretty dark outside, and I can only recognize the right street because of the cafe at the corner of the street. It's almost empty by now, but the bright lights are still on.

"Do I have to?" Caine questions me, breaking the silence that was between us. After I told him to focus on the road, our conversation just kind of stopped. Caine starts driving again, and I give him a frowning gaze.

"Well, you have to if you want to arrive at my house. I don't think you want to have me sitting in your car all night. You probably have better things to do than driving me all night." I say, shrugging my shoulders while he turns left.

"I have got nowhere to be, or nothing to do, Mia." He says, driving slowly through the street. I recognize my house. It's a white house, which used to be an old farmhouse. My mother's car is in the driveway, while my father's car is parked in one of the parking spots in the street. Most of the lights are off, but there's some light in the little office, giving away that my dad is probably still working. My mom is probably already asleep.

Caine stops his car in front of my house after I told him which one it was. He gives my house a short gaze and turns his attention to me. He turns off the engine, and I start to gather my stuff. I grab my bag and get out of the car. I take a look at the dead-silent, sleeping street and sigh softly.

"Thanks for the ride, Caine. It really wasn't necessary, but I appreciate it a lot." I bend down, making sure I'm at the same height as Caine is. I give him a thankful smile, and he smirks a little. I can feel my clothes getting wet again in the rain, but I don't care at the moment.

"Stop worrying about me giving you a ride. It was my pleasure driving you home, and I already told you I had nothing to do all night. I was just driving out of boredom. Believe me, it's fine." He says, giving me one of his real smiles. I close the door and turn around before I realize something. I open the door again before Caine can drive away and bend down again.

"Do you want to come inside for a drink or something? It's the least I can do after you've driven me home." I say, giving him a questioning look. He gives me a hesitant look, and I think he's going to decline the offer.

"Alright, but it really isn't necessary to invite me in, Mia." He says before getting out of the car, surprising me once again. I smile at him before I walk to the front door. Caine follows me while he takes in the house and its surroundings.

I search in my bag for the keys and open the door once I've found them. I walk into the house and close the door behind Caine. I remove my dirty Nike air force, which we were supposed to be white. Caine also removes his shoes, following my lead. I know how much my mother hates dirty footsteps of shoes around the house.