Sovrano

Car Trouble

"Crap," I muttered under my breath as I pulled off to the side of the road. The red and blue flashing lights stopped behind me and a moment later a cop came out of the drivers seat. I rolled down my window as she approached me.

"What's the problem, officer?" I asked, growing nervous even though I technically knew that I did nothing wrong. I didn't do well with authority. Not in a devil-may-care way, but in a pee-my-pants way because authority made my anxiety skyrocket faster than the speed of light.

"License and registration please," She asked, completely ignoring my question. I leaned over and fumbled with the glove compartment until it unlatched and I was eye-level with a balled up gum wrapper and my sunglasses. Well, I guess I did do something wrong.

"Uh, I guess I don't have it with me?" I closed the glove compartment and turned to look at the officer. She gave me an unimpressed look before looking down at the notepad in her hands.

"Well," She began and I felt a bead of sweat start at the back of my neck. "I'm gonna need to give you two tickets. One for the broken taillight and another for no registration. I'll also have to have your vehicle impounded until you can prove that it's yours. I'd suggest you grab anything valuable with you and call a friend to pick you up." She walked back towards her car and I blinked. I didn't even get a chance to talk! What the hell was I supposed to do now? No one I know is awake at six AM. I clenched my jaw and turned the key in the ignition to turn off my car. Once the engine was silent, I checked my car for anything I might have left that I'd need.

I stuck my clammy hands in my pockets and stilled once I realized that I didn't have my phone on me. Oh, no, no, no, no, no I repeated in my head as I grabbed my backpack and blindly pulled out books, wrappers, tampons, gum and the odd eyeliner pencil. No phone. The cop made her way back over to me and handed me the god forsaken tickets.

"Can you by chance tell me the time?" I asked her as I slowly felt myself losing my cool. She glanced at her wristwatch and said "six thirty-two" before walking away again. Oh, no, no, no please no I groaned in frustration and smacked my palms on the steering wheel. I was late and I had no ride to work. By the time the tow truck arrived I was seconds away from having a complete and utter meltdown. And to think I was having a good morning up until now.

Now I was stranded, sitting on the sidewalk across from a church that made me feel very uncomfortable, on a slightly deserted street. I mentally calculated how long it would take me to get to the library by walking and found myself thinking about skipping work and just find the nearest bakery/deli/café/bar near me to drown out my feelings with food.

Suddenly a sleek black car pulled up next to me and I found myself looking at my reflection in the blacked out window before it rolled down and I was face-to-face with none other than my new neighbor.

"Althea Floros." I looked at him weirdly before replying with, "Bastiano DeRose."

He opened and shut his door as he walked out and sat next to me on the sidewalk, facing his car like me. I eyed him from the corner of my eye as he mimicked my body language; legs stretched out, crossed at the ankles, palms flat on the concrete and upper body supported by arms.

"You look a little upset. Cosa c'è che non va?"  His voice was a low rumble and I found myself turning my head fully to look at him. His thick hair was styled perfectly with a few "stray" strands sticking to his forehead. His jaw showed no signs of stubble and his face showed no signs of breakouts. I narrowed my eyes. Did he wear concealer? His skin was too perfect to be true. Moving on to his clothing, Bastiano was currently dressed to the nines in a full suit that was perfectly tailored to hug his body in the right way, with a little black silk hanky in his breast pocket to match his necktie. And he was sitting on the dirty ground with me.

"Don't worry about little old me, I am A-OK!" I tried to muster enthusiasm in my voice but I ended up sounding sarcastic. "Anyways, you're looking spiffy. What's the occasion?" I asked him as if we were lifelong buddies.

"A meeting. Why are you on the side of the road?" He posed the question in a casual voice so I answered in one that matched his tone.

"Oh, you know, car troubles." I vaguely gestured with my hand as I repositioned myself to get more comfortable. Loose gravel kept lodging itself in my palms.

"Posso aiutarla? Can I help you?" Bastiano met my eyes as he asked the question. I blinked, taken aback by how I wasn't able to detect any emotions in his eyes. That was a little unnerving.   I stuttered my answer, "Uh, y-yeah actually. Can you give me a ride? I need to go to the Postock Library."

Bastiano stood, dusted his pants, and held out a large hand for me to take. I gulped as my mouth suddenly went dry before taking his hand and letting him help me stand. His hand was warm and calloused, unlike my clammy, smooth hands. If I could hold his hand forever I would die. They were perfect. I cleared my throat as I slipped my hand out of his and made my way over to the passenger side of the car and sat inside. The interior of his car was all sleek with light brown leather and an expensive everything. I almost felt bad sitting in it in my joggers. Bastiano sat in the drivers seat and soon the car purred to life and began it's smooth drive towards the library. Within minutes we were in front of the large ivy-covered brick building. 

"Thank you for the ride," I told him as I slung my bag over my shoulder and stepped out the car and into the sidewalk. Bastiano flashed me a half smile before speeding off without saying anything. Boy, he was in a hurry. My bag bounced on my back as I jogged up the stairs and into the building, god I was late.