~ Outside The Speedway ~ (Lightning McQueen x OC)

Chapter 45

Olivia's P.O.V.

It's crazy to think that I'm currently trying to hold in tears because what I've just experienced doesn't feel fucking real.

I don't want this to be a dream, or some hallucination that I've created in my head because of how desperate I am.

But every minute that passes, more and more do I believe that it was real. That our kiss was real. That my exploding heart and shaky hands and joyful laughter were real.

Good. I don't think I'd be able to survive humiliation if the next morning I woke up, acted upon impulse, and learned that it was just a dream.

As we unmade the bed, Taylor Swift's "New Year's Day" played softly in the motel yard, her soft voice peacefully filling our silence. We didn't look at each other, but it was comfortable. Domestic. Working simultaneously, taking the pillows off the bed, moving the comforter backward.

The dim light of the lamp was our only source of light, the pitter-patter of the soft rain by the window did nothing to drown the sweet, melodic tunes. It all fell right into place, one by one.

These moments after the kiss felt so...practiced. So perfected. As if we'd done it countless times.

I felt completely at home.

We changed one by one in the bathroom, and Lightning took a quick shower. The idiot of course opted to sleep without a shirt, not that I was complaining.

So I did him one better and came to bed with just a bra and loose pj pants. The long, wide, flowy ones; mine happened to have blue flowers and not plaid.

He looked like he wasn't complaining either.

We tucked ourselves into bed (yes the same bed), and laid on our sides, facing each other. We stared.

He had really pretty eyes.

"You have really pretty eyes," he told me.

I laughed just a little. He knew what I was thinking, and threw it right back at me.

"You say that a lot," I smiled. He takes his hand and softly places a stray hair behind my ear. His hand stays on my jaw, his thumb stroking my cheek.

"It's true and you know it." He grinned. I smiled wider and moved closer to him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, tucking me into him as I placed a hand on his beating heart.

He was scared as shit, I could tell. He was rapid, his breathing irregular.

He was scared of messing up.

Oh Lightning.

I lifted my head enough to meet his eyes, and leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on his lips. Short and sweet, just enough to feel it. He exhaled into me, and his heartbeat slowed to a steady pace.

I pulled back and settled on his chest with closed eyes.

"Goodnight, Blondie."

"'Night, Firefly."

x x x x x x x x x x

"All I gotta say is that y'all looked pretty damn coz' up in the crowd."

Mari defended her stance on the subject just the same as she had this whole morning. She held her hands up, palms facing me, shrugging like she was innocent. She wasn't letting up.

I glanced at Alex to help me out, but all she did was smirk and shrug too, acting clueless. Like she had no idea what she was supposed to say. She picked up her fork and continued her omelet.