A Collection Of Oneshots And Short Stories

Midnight Driving With The Windows Down

This has been sitting in my drafts for a while...

My eyes fly open to the darkness.

The house is quiet as can be. I can hear my dad's snores through the walls and the creaking of my sister's bed on top of me as she rolls around in her sleep. Our room is covered with the gentle glow of the moon from the window.

Damn it. I forgot to close the blinds again.

I reach for my phone and click the home button to display the time. It's barely past 1:00 AM and my lovely body has decided it's gotten enough sleep. Hello, insomnia.

As quietly as I can, I roll out of bed and grab a random hoodie, sliding out the door and tiptoe into my brother's room.

He's sitting at his computer, working with the lights off, an ominous glow from the screen reflecting on the face.

"Alexander," I hiss, cracking open the door.

He sighs in exasperation and reaches for his car keys. "I'm coming with you."

"Can I drive?"

"Nope, not happening, last time, you almost crashed the car."

"At least I've gotten more sleep than you have."

"At least I'm more awake than you are." He turns off his computer and tosses me the keys. "Get in the car. Gimme one second."

"Aye aye, Captain," I chirp.

A few minutes later, Alex opens the door to the driver's side of the car with a bottle of warm tea. "So, where to?"

"Nowhere in general. Just make sure we can get back sunrise so Mom and Dad don't freak out when they realize we're gone."

"Sounds like a plan," he says as he backs out of the driveway. "And for what it's worth, you really should try and get some sleep if you're tired, okay?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

After we drive out of the court, he hands me a deck of CDs and shoots me a crooked smile. "What's a midnight drive without music?"

"You, my friend, are going to regret this." I flip through and spin out a One Direction CD.

Alex groans. "Really, Lexi? Really?"

"You said it yourself, what's midnight driving without music, eh? Too bad you let me choose the music."

"Can't we play something else? Like K-Pop!"

"It seems that spending nine months in Asia has gotten you unhealthily addicted to K-Pop."

"I am not unhealthily addicted to K-Pop."

"Mhm, tooootally. So anyway, I'm going to play 1D and we're going to go on a midnight drive."

"Sounds like a really really really bad plan, but as your older brother, I guess it's my duty to say that it's an amazing plan."

"Well, you're just pissed I didn't choose BTS or whatever."

"First of all, BTS isn't the only K-pop band out there, and second of all-"

"Keep your eyes on the road, Alexander."

"What?"

"Your eyes on the road, sir. It's amazing you managed to go that long without crashing into anything. Or anyone for that matter."

"Sisters," he mutters under his breath.

"Ooh, pull up on the highway!"

He smiles crookedly, thinking the exact same thing as me. "CD in?"

I slide the CD in and nod. "In."

"Ready?"

"When have I ever not been?"

"Well, I can-"

I roll down my window before he can say anything, a blast of the cool night summer air slapping me in the face. I stick my hand out and wave it along in the wind. My hair starts flying in all directions but I don't even care.

Alex shouts something to me.

"WHAT?" I yell, unable to hear him over the loud wind.

"BRING YOUR DAMN HAND BACK IN!" he hollers. "I HOPE TO BRING YOU HOME IN ONE PIECE! AND WHAT IS THIS SONG?"

I reluctantly pull my arm back in and glare at him. "HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW WHAT THIS SONG IS CALLED?"

"UM, BECAUSE I'M NOT A ONE DIRECTION STAN???"

In response, I start hollering at the top of my lungs. "IF YOU LIKE MIDNIGHT DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN, IF YOU LIKE GOING PLACES WE CAN'T EVEN PRONOUNCE, IF YOU LIKE TO DO WHATEVER YOU'VE BEEN DREAMING ABOUT, BABY I'M PERFECT. BABY I'M PERFECT FOR YOU."

Alexander very pointedly rolls up my window as I stop singing. "You cannot sing to save your life," he sniffles, rubbing his ears. "Leave the singing to the people in the band, please."

I glare at him, running my fingers through my now-tangled hair. "Oh yeah? Then why don't you try and sing some BTS song, hm?"

"I told you, BTS isn't the only K-pop band out there. You ought to know that by now."

"Well, sorry, I'm not a K-pop stan. And besides, you don't even speak Korean."

"Lexi, I just spent nine months in Korea. What makes you think I can't speak Korean?"

"Ah. Right."

"Exactly. Now, next song, and don't you dare sing or I'm turning this car around."

"Sure sure . . ."

"Do not pick a 1D song. Actually, how about I do the honors, yeah?"

With one hand on the wheel and one hand fumbling around for his phone, he pulls up a song I have not heard of.

"It's a great song. And before you ask, it's in English. Relax. I can sing in English as well, not that I will be singing or anything."

"What's it called?"

"Highway to Heaven by NCT 127. They're super fab."

"Yes," I say dryly, "I can tell."

"Your sense of sarcasm is not appreciated."

"Whatever."

I roll down my window again as Alex drives on, letting the wind blow back on my face. My eyes sting and I struggle to keep them open, but the feeling is amazing. It's times like these that make me glad I'm insomniac.

What's better than midnight driving with the windows down, with music blasting in the background? There's something so special and thrilling about this experience. Hardly anyone is out on the roads at this time of the day. Basically, we have the whole highway to ourselves, aside from the few stragglers here and there.

There's something so fantastical about the streetlights shining down on an empty street. There's something so calming about the warmth of the air, even when it's completely dark out. And most of all, there's something so enjoyable about being able to spend time with my brother.

Even if we both have to endure through the long hours of the night -- him because of jet lag, me because of my insomnia -- at least we've found a way to make the pain and exhaustion worth it. 

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Luv u all,
LivingWithMyLife

(P.S. Highway to Heaven by NCT 127 is amazing and Perfect by One Direction is . . . perfect. Check them out, maybe? :) )