Stellar Mistakes

Sports Car Ride

Wet bus stop. She's waiting. His car is warm and dry.
(Who knows what song I'm referencing?)

A few nights later, Lucy walked out of the Fairy Tail building after staying late once again, only to see it pouring rain.

"Ah man," she groaned. "The forecast said it'd be clear all day. Great!"

She did not have an umbrella, and there were no convenience stores nearby. Everything was closed for the night. She looked down at her watch. If she hurried, she could still catch the last train. She shielded her purse and faced the dismal skies with resolution.

"Okay! Time to suck it up and run to the station as fast as I can. Prepare to get drenched..."

Just as she was about to bolt, a car pulled up in front of the Fairy Tail building. She stopped short, wondering who it could be. She had seen no one else inside at such a late hour. The passenger side window slowly lowered, and the driver peeked out. It was a face she knew all too well.

Loke!

"Hey," he said in a friendly tone. "Can you believe this rain?"

"I know," she said awkwardly. "Um..."

"Well? Hurry up and get in already. You don't want to get sick."

Lucy gulped hard. Ride? With him? However, he gave Lucy an inviting smile, and she knew she could not resist the opportunity. She hurried through the rain and slid into the passenger seat. She closed the door, and the window rolled up automatically. The rain tapping on the roof and windshield wipers were the only sounds she could hear. The car slowly started to move. Lucy buckled up and tried to make herself as small as possible on her seat, nervous in the silence between them. Loke had his eyes focused on the road, and he was not saying anything, probably realizing she would be intimidated, riding in a car alone with a man. She needed to say something to break the tension.

"Um ... thank you." After that, to hide her nervousness, she took a handkerchief out of her purse to dry her hair.

"I just happened to see you. Lucky timing," Loke said with a light smile, yet he still had his official director voice. Lucy tried to force herself to see it that way. This was just a boss looking out for his subordinate.

Still, she was afraid that she might start to stare at him, so she forced herself to look away, gazing at the city of Magnolia flashing by in refractions of light in the rain.

"So, where to?"

"Huh? Oh! Strawberry Street. Do you know where that is?"

"No, but GPS does."

She gave him her address, he entered it, and a map pulled up on his navigation dash. Lucy was impressed. Her last car had not had any of this technology, but that had been many years ago and a really cheap, used car. She had been relying on trains since moving to Magnolia.

"You stayed awfully late," he stated after a long silence.

"I haven't finished revising my proposal." Since they were talking about work, she felt slightly more at ease. "I have an idea I think will work, but the storyboarding is taking time." She turned and saw him in profile, his hands on the wheel, his tie off and a couple of buttons loosened on his shirt, a smile on his face as he watched traffic. He looked casual and relaxed, and it put her even more at ease.

"It's not good to work too hard."

"I know," she sighed, and despite herself, she could not pull her eyes away from staring at him. It was the first time she had seen him drive. It was a brand new sports car, heated leather seats, and she could barely feel the road, as if they were flying, not driving. Somehow, the light in his eyes and the relaxed posture were different from how he looked at work, and even at the bar. It was like she was getting a glimpse of him in his private life.