Vignettes on Driving - Zamiel
I.
There is a certain regard in Haruka's face that concerns Michiru, a slight grind of the teeth, the furrow of eyebrows crinkling her forehead. It's not the anger that concerns Michiru; it is the aggression, the vehement absentmindedness with which Haruka turns the radio dial and dismisses channel after channel, settling on a sea of white noise before realizing no music is issuing forth.
"God," Haruka finally seethes after a long silence, "I hate this. I hate every part of it."
"Haruka, dear. It's only traffic."
A string of punctuated oaths is Haruka's reply, an abridged performance from that time three months ago when, for forty minutes, they'd tailed behind an old lady driving too slow in the fast lane. It was an improvement, Michiru reflects, but not by much.
"Darling, it's only traffic. And you know what the doctor said – this sort of behavior is very bad for your blood pressure."
"Damn my blood pressure."
"If you keep this up, you'll eventually get a stroke when you're older. And what'll I do? I'll be terribly lonely, don't you think?"
"You," Haruka snaps, crawling the car forward a good half an inch, "can finally throw yourself at that one actor you admire so much – what was his name again?"
"Oh my." The words drip colder than she'd intended them to, not that Haruka noticed or anything. "Yes, you are right, of course. I can always go do that. In fact, Haruka, perhaps I should go invest in buying a second home right away."
"What for?"
"A harem to house my arsenal of people to throw myself at, as you so eloquently put it. I already have a mental list compiled."
She bites the sides of her lips to hid a smirk as a visibly started Haruka, acknowledging the conversation for the first time, turns to stare at her.
"You wouldn't dare." A faint growl dots Haruka's phrase, a tinge of malice and jealousy that leaves Michiru satisfied for now. She imagines plucking it from Haruka's lips and tying it to her finger as some well-won trophy, a dazzling beautiful thing.
"Then I've just given you a reason to watch your health now, haven't I?"
The traffic starts to creep for all of two minutes before it is again brought to a standstill; Haruka opens her mouth to lash out but, thinking the better of it, quickly shuts it. "It's been a while since I've exercised," she finally manages to say, a slight strain caught in her throat. "I should take it up again soon…it'll be good for my blood pressure, don't you think?"
Michiru quietly places her hand on top of Haruka's own. "But you can't pull over here," she murmurs. "We'll just have to wait until we get home." Bemused, Michiru watches Haruka's face turn a delicate, flustered red, the color of which makes her smile.