Once In A Lifetime

Chapter 4 - Caffeine Time

The air was filled with humidity, the sun was bright as it sat up in the sky, the clouds were white and looked like marshmallows, and the trees were blowing with the wind while their leaves were shiny green. I love days like this, it made me feel at home. Little moments like these made me realize that anything is possible, and my journey was only beginning. To know that my life was right ahead of me, it filled me with excitement and joy. But at the same time, it terrifies me. Of course, like I said, anything is possible... That includes the scary possibilities that come with life. And all of a sudden, once again, Declan broke my thoughts.

"So, where are we heading?" he questioned as he continued to drive. "Look, you kinda hijacked me, you tell me where we're going. I don't even know you," I commented back as I gave me a glare. He rolled his eyes, clearly trying not to grin to himself, "Well, with the way you raced last night, it sure did look like you knew how I drive."

My blood was boiling, why did I seem upset? I was fine at the house, and I did agree to come with him on this... trip, or whatever we are doing. "Want me to be honest? I've been wanting to be in one of these camaro's since they came out with them at the beginning of this year. I just haven't had the time to make it to the dealership to test drive one," I replied and crossed my arms. I looked out the window, wanting to be out already. Declan made me so nervous, and truthfully I didn't know why. I was still heartbroken by Ethan, but I did my best to ignore my feelings and continue trying to be happy. I know that doesn't always work and you shouldn't live by the quote 'fake it till you make it', but I didn't know what else to do. Ethan was my first serious relationship, I only had a couple of others throughout middle school and high school, but most of those were long distance online relationships. I did date one person at the beginning of sophomore year, but he moved away after we had been dating for a couple of weeks. Other than that, all I had was Ethan. It was so utterly complicated. Why was I still upset? I'll never know. I just don't understand how someone can hurt somebody else to the point where they feel like they're the ones that did something wrong.

"Well, how come? Are you in college?" Declan asked. I smiled for a brief moment and thought to myself, "Thank you for taking my mind off of that." I then responded, "No, I'm just always working on Victor." He nodded and kept his eyes on the road, I couldn't help but stare and I hope he didn't notice. He's so gorgeous, and the way his hair falls past his ears makes my stomach turn, in a good way though. His eyes were a bright gray, weirdly enough they seemed to have a blue tint, but it just made them even better. He was so focused on the road ahead, God only knowing where he was taking us. "If you ever need my help, I don't mind," he interrupted my thoughts once more, "I'm not very educated when it comes to mechanics, but I love learning about it."

I didn't really know how to respond, mainly because when he said that, he sounded exactly like me when I began falling in love with cars. I had no idea what to do when I got my first though, I thought all you had to do was put gas in it, and then you are good to go. Turns out, it's a whole lot more complicated than that. There's all sorts of fluids to keep check out, engine issues that can happen, security systems messing up, and even the simplest things, such as windshield wiper blades not working properly and turning signals going too fast or skipping. When it comes to cars, you have to be dedicated to your own vehicle if you really care about it. It makes me upset sometimes when you just see people riding around in luxury vehicles relying on car insurance if anything ever happened, basically not having to worry about the real issues when it comes to underneath the hood.

"I don't let anyone really touch Victor, except for myself and my trusted mechanic. But you can always watch if you're really willing to learn. Only in that case though," I said to Declan as I faced him. He grinned softly, a slight dimple appearing on his right cheek. I kept myself from smiling at it, and turning my head back toward my window, "Can you just drop me off at Letty's? I meant to call her earlier this morning to see if she wanted to hang out today and spend the night with me, but I haven't been able to."

He nodded in response and said, "Alright, just let me know how to get there."

Fortunately we made it to Letty's house safely. Declan's car is definitely fast, I'm just not used to riding passenger. I feel the drive is more safe if I'm the one behind the wheel, but I'm sure almost everyone feels that way. Letty came outside after we pulled up and smiled widely after she saw me get out of the car, "Hey girl! What are you doing here?" I grabbed my purse and shut the door, walking over to her. "I meant to call you this morning, but it's been a little chaotic. I was wondering if you'd want to hang out tonight? My parents are going out and won't be back until tomorrow evening, I didn't want to bother Sid with it because I'm sure he'd love to spend time with Jules since he is going away to University soon," I explained.

She nodded as she lit her cigarette, taking a long drag, "Of course! Jules is actually still here, how about we all go out for brunch first?" I nodded in agreement and smiled, then looked behind me.

Declan was staring. Hard. But not in a creepy way, kind of the sweet way. I stared back at him intensely, he tilted his head a bit and gave me a 'see you soon' look. I couldn't help but blush, my insides were all torn up with excitement and adrenaline. Why did I want to get back in the car with him? I don't know him, he's pretty much a stranger. But the race last night was so filled with rush, I felt like I did know him. Maybe from a long time ago, it just seemed as if we knew each other for so long, but had no idea how to speak to one another. It felt awkward between us, but at the same time... It felt right. It felt calm.

He pulled out of the driveway, and sped off. When I turned back around to face Letty, she was smirking at me, keeping her cigarette between her dark red polished fingernails. It was as if she read my mind, which was creepy. Knowing each other for years definitely has its perks but sometimes sucks when the other person knows exactly what you're thinking.

"I know damn well you weren't just checking him out," she said in the most funny voice. I laughed and put my purse over my shoulder, "Oh, shut up! I can look!"

We walked inside, continuing to laugh and giggle all the way through her living room. Jules was sitting on the couch, scrolling through Instagram as usual and munching on a doughnut. "You fat bitch! We're about to go eat," Letty yelled and pulled the doughnut from Jules hands. I was laughing so hard that my cheeks were hurting. Jules stood up on the couch, tossed her phone to side and literally jumped into the air, onto the floor, "Give me back my doughnut you cow!"

Letty ran around the living room, tempting Jules with the doughnut still in her hands and holding up in the air, "I'm the cow? Says the one running after sugar!" Just then, Letty shoved the entire thing into her mouth. Tears were rolling down my face as I laughed hysterically, holding my stomach and bending over.

"Ugggh! You always do this! You're lucky I have more at home," Jules said as she began laughing with me. I loved times when we were all together and just joking around, making fun of each other. Our humor gets us through hard days, and I think that was the best quality we all shared.

"Can we go to Uncle Lee's Cafe?" I asked after calming down. They both agreed and we were on our way. Jules was texting Sid, none stop. They were so cute that it made me sick, but so happy for the both of them. Letty was driving, speeding through every intersection to make the yellow light before it turned red. I shook my head and smiled, I love her.

We arrived at the cafe and walked inside, sitting at our favorite table. It was next to the biggest window and had the best view of the ocean. The clear blue water was rippling, and a few dolphins were swimming nearby. There was one I liked the most, he has a white spot on his dorsal fin, I wanted to go out there so bad and swim with them. But for now I have to have some caffeine. We ordered our favorite dishes and coffee, then just started talking about memory lane. We were laughing, crying, and teasing each other. We took a few pictures together, showing off our no-makeup look and matching dark blue jean jackets. It was pure happiness in one spot in the middle of a busy cafe. I heard the bell come from the door, and turned my head. And there was Ethan, with Aubrey. My heart sank, and immediately my happiness was gone.