This is something I have been working on for a while now, 'Kissing in Cars' is a piece that I hope to grow with, and I hope you all will do the same. I also want to dedicate this to a very special person in my life, someone who in so many words is the Romeo to my Ellie. I love you endlessly. & I love each and every one of you as well, welcome to the journey that will unfold to be 'Kissing in Cars'.
I rubbed my eyes groggily as I walked down the dimly lit sidewalk, trying to remember where I had parked my car earlier that night. Car after car, I made a mental note of each one trying to wrack my brain for any memory of them, but nevertheless, none of them looked familiar enough. But through the darkness I spotted a vehicle that I was sure I'd seen before; just not that night. The license plate gave it away more than anything considering the fact that Ellie was the only person in all of Indiana that had 'SATURN' spelt on the front and back bumpers of their car.
I had never been to her house so like any other rational person, I just assumed it was parked outside because she lived in one of the houses on the street. But as I neared closer, I heard a song being played softly in the distance. Although it was slightly muffled, I recognized it as 'Somebody Else' by The 1975. The song was so enticing, yet so calming; much like a lullaby. I furrowed my eyebrows, speeding up a little bit, wondering what she would have been doing in her car at 3 AM. She hadn't been at the party, had she? Surely I would've seen her. But then again, I didn't know Ellie that well, so why she would have been listening to music in her car in the middle of the night was beyond me. I was only feet away from her all black Wrangler when I decided to make the bold decision and inch closer to get a look at the scene, given that my curiosity had gotten the best of me.
When I peered through the passenger seat window however, I didn't see anything worth writing home about, although it was altogether puzzling. A look of confusion crossed my face as my eyes scanned the inside of her car. There she laid in only shorts and a hoodie curled up in the driver's seat clutching a pink blanket, her chest rising and falling slowly. Why was she sleeping in her car? I could hear a little voice in my head say, "Who the hell cares! Go find your car and go home!" but a big part of me knew I couldn't do that. Weather we had known each other all that well or not, I considered her a friend; and friends don't just let things like this pass them by. So with a slightly hesitant hand, I softly knocked on the window.
Her eyes softly fluttered open, and she made a point of looking around at her surroundings before her eyes fell on the digital clock, later meeting my own. She smiled at me with sleepy eyes and outstretched her arm to push a button that I would later find out rolled down the window I was stationed at. With the window down, the music was much more audible and I was almost glad in a way.
"Hey."
"Hey Romeo." She said quietly with a small smile spread across her face, and I smiled back for a second too. "What are you doing?" I asked with a slight laugh, but I knew she could see the concern on my face. She looked around her surroundings hazily, "I could ask you the same thing, Mister hard core partier." She said looking up at me, a small twinkle in her eye. She always had a way of turning things around so that they weren't about her-especially when she was hiding something-but I didn't comment on it out loud. "Aren't you gonna go home?" I asked still confused and she shrugged lightly, "no, it's fine. I do this quite frequently." She said quietly.
This girl was right out of her mind.
Before I could get the chance to say anything else, she beat me to it. "Do you want to join me, Mister Parker?" My mouth stood agape for a moment, and that's when my phone started to buzz; If it hadn't been my mom, I probably wouldn't have picked up.
"Mom? Sorry, i'm gonna be sleeping at a friends tonight."
Upon hanging up, I met Ellie's eyes, the corners of them were wrinkled and her semi smile turned into one that was too big for her face. "Yeah,yeah." I said laughing "now unlock the door so I can get in."
She outstretched her arm and pushed a button lightly that made a small 'click', letting me know that the door was now unlocked. Once I was settled down in the passenger seat she pulled me in for a hug, to which I gladly accepted. Ellie always smelt like a mix of stale tobacco and vanilla; the type of scent that was so prevalent that even if you weren't trying to smell her, you were.
I lowered back my seat with the lever to the right of my chair, and so did she. "Goodnight Romeo." she said before turning away from me, still cuddled up in her blanket. "Goodnight Ellie." I said before my now heavy eyelids fell over my eyes like a thick black cape.