Sprinter | H.S. AU

Chapter 5 - The Hitchhiker

I blink a few times, trying to focus on the scene through my windshield. Nope, there is definitely a person walking toward my van. I'm white-knuckling the steering wheel, completely frozen. If I was in my right mind, I would probably just pull back onto the highway and drive away, but clearly I am not. Flashes of Lucy keep interrupting my field of vision, and for the life of me I cannot put the car in drive. I can't take my hands off of the wheel. I just can't.

Tap tap tap.

Fuck.

He's knocking on my passenger window, his index finger bent and the back of his hand facing me. Bindi tilts her head, intrigued by the stranger standing outside the window. She doesn't seem too bothered, and that's probably not for the best. Isn't she supposed to be my protection on this trip?

I keep staring out the window at the hand. Now, I know this is definitely not the time for me to be thinking this, but those are some nice-ass hands. They're fucking huge. I notice a cross tattoo near the thumb and die a little bit.

"Hello?" The man's muffled voice comes through the closed window, clearly confused as to why I'm staring straight at him, unmoving. Tap tap tap. He knocks again, looking unsure about this whole interaction. His head tilts forward a little, like he's trying to get a look inside the car. Black aviators cover his eyes, and a fedora sits on top of his thick brown hair. I've never seen anyone other than a theater kid wear a fedora, but this stranger is actually pulling it off. What the fuck am I supposed to do?

The way I see it, I have two options: either I roll down my window and ask this stranger what the fuck he's doing on the side of a major highway, or I simply drive away. Driving away seems like the best option, but a small part of me wants to see what he has to say. Honestly, it would be fine with me if he was a serial killer. It's not like my life is going swimmingly right now anyway. I take a deep breath, remove my left hand from the steering wheel, run it through my long, black hair, and push the little button on my door to roll down the passenger window.

"Hi." I squeak out, my voice still not recovered from the rawness of my panic attack. God, I sound like a fucking mouse. I clear my throat and try again. "Hey."

He looks at me, and I'm seriously considering pulling back onto the road and forgetting this ever happened. There's something so unnerving about not being able to see his eyes. It's not like he's wearing a ski mask, but his huge sunglasses mask his expression.

"Hello, love," he drawls, clearly not as flustered as I am. Bindi tilts up her nose, trying to get a feel for him.

"What are you doing on the side of the road?" I ask as I lean over the passenger seat, trying to get a better look at him.

"I could ask you the same thing," he quips. Great. I've got a funny guy on my hands.

"Oh, y'know. The usual," I sigh. "Just had a mental breakdown and I'm getting my head back on straight." I slam my mouth shut, instant regret filling me. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now he knows I'm a complete nutcase. If it scares him away, it would probably work out better for my own personal safety. Instead, he just smiles, dazzlingly white teeth on full display.

"Brilliant," he exclaims, his smile still present. "I'm just hoping to catch a ride on this blisteringly hot day," he pauses. "Y'know, the usual." I swear he winked after that last statement, but it's hard to tell with his sunglasses. I think I'm having heart palpitations. I give him a slight once-over, not even being subtle about it. He should know that I wouldn't let just anyone in my beautiful van. Who am I kidding, I've owned this van for a total of two weeks and the only other person I've driven is María. I stop when I get to his feet, shooting my eyes back up to his face with my eyebrows raised.

"You're hitchhiking in.....chelsea boots?" I thought I was unprepared for a trip like this, but apparently there are people even worse off than I am.

"It would appear that I am. Wanna give me a lift?" He questions, his British accent absolutely knocking any smartass comments right out of my brain. I'm pretty sure I glitched.

"Hop in then, champ," I chirp, indicating with my thumb for him to throw his stuff in the back. Oh boy. There is no way this is going to end well. Did I just call him champ? When the fuck did I become a Little League coach?

I unlock the car from the inside, and he slides open the back door, throwing his backpack in with a loud thunk. My pulse starts to race as he shuts the back door, realization dawning on me that he is going to be sitting next to me in the very seat Bindi is sitting in right now. She looks at me with disappointment in her eyes, clearly asking me why the fuck I've decided to pick up a hitchhiker. I don't even know his name.

He opens the passenger door, looking at Bindi and I for a second.

"What's your name," I blurt suddenly. It's a little easier to justify him getting in my car if I know his name.

"Harry," his deep voice rumbles. "And you are?"

"Josie," I state. "And that's Bindi." I point to my dog, and his glances down at her before returning his gaze to my face..

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Josie. Bindi, I love your seatbelt." I feel my cheeks flush as I look to the straps holding her in the seat. It's a tiny bit extra, but she's all I've got. Shit. Where is Bindi going to sit? He seems to sense my sudden realization and clears his throat. "Would sitting on my lap be ok?" I blink at him, slowly. Bindi. Yep. Yep. That makes sense. Pull it together, Josie.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. That's ok. I just put the seatbelt on because she was sitting by herself and tends to move around. Wouldn't want her to get hurt." I force a tight smile, already unsure of how I'm going to manage driving with Harry.

He unclips Bindi's seatbelt, and I pat my lap for her to climb over to me while Harry gets into the car. He buckles his seatbelt, his arms and hands flexing in the process. Wow, he has a lot of tattoos. Like a lot, a lot. Once he's satisfied with his positioning, he clicks his tongue, indicating for Bindi to come sit on his lap. She settles right in, and he places his arm around her. She gives me a look and I swear she's gloating. Lucky bitch.

"Are we ready, then?" Harry says, startling me out of my thoughts.

"Yep, yep." I re-buckle my own seatbelt, check my blindspot, and flick on my turn signal. Once there's a break in traffic, I pull back onto the highway. I'm suddenly self-conscious of my driving. Will he think I'm a little bitch if I go the speed limit? I usually travel at a breakneck speed, but would that make me seem unstable? I settle for going 8 mph above the speed limit and turn on my cruise control. I can feel his eyes on me.

I turn and look at him, noticing that he's taken off his sunglasses. His eyes are a stunning green, clear and bright. He smiles, running his hand over Bindi's back.

A dry laugh escapes my mouth, and I can't help it when I say, "If you're going to kill me, please make sure Bindi gets back to my sister." He looks at me for a second, almost puzzled. Suddenly, he cackles, like full on cackles, and it brings a little warmth to my face. His lips pulled up in a slight smile, he tries to recover from his outburst.

"I'm not going to kill you, Josie," he chuckles, turning to look through the windshield. He pauses for a moment, taking in the road ahead. "If you thought I was going to kill you, why did you let me in your van?" He glances over at me out of the corner of his eye, seeming genuinely curious. I honestly don't know the answer to that question. I let out a nervous laugh.

"Um, moment of weakness?" I mumble, not really sure what he wants me to say. I hear a chuckle next to me.

"Fair enough," he says, turning his gaze back to the windshield. Fair enough. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, focusing back on the road. Fair enough.

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A/N: Hello, hello! Sorry for the hiatus, ngl I kinda forgot about this. I'm gonna try to update more regularly to give me a more consistent creative outlet. I had to include the Cody Ko video, it's literally my favorite ever. That was for you, reader. (You know who you are:D)