Grease n' Glances

Chapter Four - The Final Drift

As we walked in comfortable silence, his hand brushed mine. We both hesitated before our fingers intertwined naturally. I looked over at him, catching a soft smile on his face as he looked ahead. I noticed how the fading light highlighted his features, his messy brown hair framing his face, and his hazel eyes filled with warmth. Approaching the park, the sound of laughter and distant music grew louder.

Children were playing on the swings, and couples strolled hand in hand, creating a lively yet peaceful environment. Cash led me to a more secluded area, near a small pond. The water reflected the colours of the sky, rippling with the light breeze. He suddenly pulled a tennis ball from his back pocket, grinning.

"Fancy a game of catch?" He questioned, his crappy but genuine attempt at an English accent making it impossible to say no. I laughed through my nose.

"Sure," I replied, catching the ball he tossed to me. We started playing, tossing the ball back and forth. Playing catch with him brought light-hearted energy to the atmosphere.

"That all you got, Kimberly?" He teased, throwing the ball back to me with a smug, happy smirk. My mouth agape at the fact he called me by my last name, I threw it back with extra force. Our laughter echoed throughout the park.

"Oh, bless your heart. Get that!" I grinned, watching as he leaned on one foot, reaching up to catch it from flying into the water. He whipped it back and I grabbed it, starting to wind my arm up, he playfully surrendered with his hands, stepping back towards the pond slightly. I tossed the ball, but my aim was a little off. The ball made a thud and flew directly into Cash's crotch, he grunted, buckling over and slumping to his knees in pain. My eyes widened in horror as I tried to contain my laughter, I ran over to help, kneeling beside him. His face was all scrunched up. "I'm so sorry!"

"You've got a killer arm," He winced, joking through the pain. My worry intensified, but I couldn't hold back a giggle.

"Are you okay? Do you need me to get ice?" I asked, hesitantly putting my hand on his back. He looked up at me, his face softening as he noticed the genuine concern. He took a deep breath, slouching less.

"I'll be fine," he croaked, still a bit strained. "Just give me a second."

"So you don't hate me," I joked, looking away at a person walking by. Cash's gaze stayed locked on me and I turned back to face him. He was quiet for a moment, his eyes shifting back and forth from my lips back to my eyes.

"I could never hate you." He confessed, shaking his head as his lips turned downwards and then returning to normal. My smile gently faltered as I stared at him. Cash's eyes descended to my lips. The tenderness in his amber eyes made my heart race. His arm reaches up, he gently tucks a hair behind my ear, his hand lingering on my cheek. I felt a bit dizzy and my eyes darted from every point on his face. A soft smile appeared on his lips as he noticed my nervousness, and he leaned back.

"Sorry," I said, looking down at the grass.

"Don't be." He smiled, then his eyes lit up "I've got a surprise for you if you're up for it."

"Sounds good to me, I'm intrigued," I replied. A mischievous yet charming grin spread across his entire face, and he stood up swiftly, helping me up with his hand. We started walking back to the garage. The air was colder now, crisper. The breeze was refreshing and gave us a chance to just relax. Be in each other's presence without stress. As we arrived, Cash pulled a ring of keys out of his back pocket and spun them around his finger with a giddy grin as we headed to the parking lot. I had never seen Cash's car before, it was always covered by a mysterious black tarp in the corner of the staff parking lot. He always got a ride from his dad, or made something else work. We walked up to the car and he stood in front of it proudly. I raised an eyebrow, "It's...dusty."