GREENE | CS55

12 - Coast

🎵

'Cause nothin' feels as real when we're connected
Relax and let the riptide pull you close

Coast, Hailee Steinfeld feat. Anderson .Paak

--

Pierce sat still and purposeful as she killed the engine in the Giulia, tucked neatly beside the curb down the block from the Hotel Arts.

The sun had given way to the moon, gently blanketing the sky above with a rosy tinge as the night whispered its way through the thin layer of clouds above.

She pulled her dark blue Yankees cap over the middle of her forehead securely, leaning forward to check out the Ritz-Carlton hotel in all its glory. The whale-like metallic statue headlining the gardens that lead out to the water, tiny still when compared to the glass building it was used to decorate.

Precisely three minutes and twenty eight seconds went by before Carlos rounded the corner, catching sight of the same Alfa Romeo he parked across from earlier today. Low and dark on the pavement, enticing to the eye as its black paint glistened. The wind kicked his sweater open, a chill shivering through his body before he pulled it shut, quickening his steps towards the car.

The long hand on the clock displayed behind the wheel ticked past the fifteen second marker as Carlos opened the passenger side door, triggering the lights to switch on and the smile to draw wide and excited on Pierces face.

She greeted Carlos eagerly, twisting her body towards him and flashing him a smile. One that he felt quickening his heartbeat, even as he averted his eyes to buckle himself in.

Carlos nearly pointed out how different the reaction was to the last time she'd seen him, but bit his tongue, smiling wryly. He let out a breath, taking in the fully disguised tactical look of her. "You look like a spy."

Pierce smirked, pausing as she wiggled her brows at him. "I feel sneaky like one."

"We may as well be spies," he responded. "What with how far you parked from the hotel."

"Far?! It's right there!" She jeered back, gesturing with her hand towards the hotel. "I'm literally beside it. What did you want me to pull in front of the fountain, get out and hold the door open for you?"

Carlos shrugged, twisting his body to face forwards with a look on his face that made Pierce want to laugh even harder. "It would have been nice."

"We'd be horrible spies had I done that," Pierce pointed out, giving her lips a boyish purse. Carlos made a sound as he laughed in agreement, the two of their laughs binding together until the car faded back into silence. Her fingers reached underneath the steering wheel, pressing the ignition button and bringing the car back to life.

She cleared her throat, drumming her hands against the wheel, peering to Carlos. He sent her a small smile, adjusting himself in his seat as he also cleared his throat. The air in the car had taken on the clean scent of his mock-neck fleece sweater; warm and subtle, with a hint of clary sage and bergamot. Did she smell that on him that night in Ibiza? She couldn't remember.

Pierce clamped her lips together. There was simply so much she wanted to say to him, so much that she had began in their direct message chat with the promise to discuss further in person. Her excitement, compacted into a bursting bundle in her chest, demanding to be let out! Demanding she share her excitement with the one person she knew would understand.