"I'll admit, you've gotten a lot better at this," Cassandra commented, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard, "it's actually pretty impressive, kid."
"Look, Cassie," Varian replied, "as much as I like you, as much as I love listening to your voice, could you stop talking? I need to focus."
As soon as he said that, though, disaster struck. The car began jostling as Varian, focused on formulating his words, accidentally drove them through a rough patch. The road became smooth again and they both let out a sigh of relief. Cass took one look at Varian and bust up laughing. The poor kid looked petrified.
But as they kept rolling through the quiet country roads of the Corona area, it became more and more evident that something was wrong.
"Varian, pull over," Cass instructed from the passenger seat, already digging around in the glove compartment for the flashlight.
He did as he was asked, pulling off onto the shoulder and putting the vehicle in park. He was about to turn it off when Cass stopped him with that famous glare of hers.
"Don't turn it off," she said firmly, "we don't know if it'll turn on again. It's going to get chillier now that the sun's going down, and we don't know how long we'll be here for. We need to keep the car on while we can."
She tossed him the flashlight and pulled out her phone, calling the towing company. Varian hopped out and began his inspection. Almost immediately, he saw the problem.
Inside the car, Cass covered the phone's receiver. "So... What's the problem?"
"We've got a flat."
She heaved a sigh. "I don't suppose the spare's still in the trunk?"
"This is the spare, Cassie," he replied, "I busted up the original tire last month, remember?"
Cassandra just nodded, relaying the information to the person on the other line. After she hung up, she joined Varian outside, observing the futility of their situation.
"Company's gonna be about an hour and a half," she finally said, "I don't suppose you brought a book or something?"
"Nope," he admitted, "but I probably should've..."
A chilly breeze blew past them, tousling their hair. Cass shivered a little, regretting her choice to wear a t-shirt.
"I don't suppose you brought a sweatshirt?"
Though she knew Varian was poking fun at her, Cass scowled at him. The nerve!
He smiled softly, starting to shrug his sweatshirt off his shoulders, wriggling out of it. Once he had it off, he offered it to Cassandra.
"Here. Wear this."
When she looked at him incredulously, he just laughed. "I've got thermal sleeves on. And this sweatshirt should be able to fit you. I always get a size or two larger than I need."
She smiled shyly, accepting the sweatshirt. "I... Thanks, Varian."
"Hey, anytime... Milady."
She let out an overexaggerated sigh, giving him the worst fake-stern expression she could possibly muster. "I thought I told you to stop watching those medieval movies, Var."
"Oh, I did," he grinned, "what, did you think those were the only forms of entertainment to feature that term of endearment?"
She rolled her eyes before suddenly deadpanning. "Oh, no... Don't tell me they got you started..."
He gave an impish grin, shrugging. "I can neither confirm nor deny your accusations."
The slightest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Miraculous?"
"Miraculous," he confirmed, "but it's not because of my roommates, if that's what you're assuming."
They stood there in almost-complete silence for a minute or two. The car continued to hum, and the car radio continued to play its soft, mellow tunes. The leaves rustled in the gentle breeze.
Suddenly, Cass perked up a little bit. "I love this song."
Varian strained his ears, trying to listen, but it was way too quiet. Cass laughed a little, reaching in to turn it up for him. As the notes finally reached his ears, he smiled and began to sing along.
The singing stopped for the half-minute interlude that the song was so famous for, and Varian smiled a little.
"Hey, Cassie," he murmured softly, "do you, umm... Would you care to dance? With me, I mean..."
Cassandra gave him that soft, shy smile of hers, the one that captivated Varian so. He loved that smile... Almost as much as its wearer.
Almost.
Her eyes met his and she nodded. "Sure."