got the sunshine shining through the windshield

Ever since he became The Flash, he hasn't had much use for cars. It's much easier to just speed off to wherever he needs—especially given his penchant for running late. Besides, cars involve money and upkeep and half a dozen other things his life is a little too busy for, so they've just lost all their appeal.

Or at least they have until today.

It's a rare day off, a sunshine-y summer Sunday afternoon and, in their continued efforts to have lives, Caitlin had called him an hour ago and asked if he wanted to go on an afternoon road trip. Barry had been easy enough to convince. Caught on the promise of good music, good weather and plenty of great food stops along the surrounding roadways, Caitlin hadn't needed more than a few sentences to get him over to her apartment, ready to go. With absolutely no destination in mind, they'd jumped in the car and set off, turning north on the highway out of town without a second thought.

Now, driving lazily along a nearly empty highway, with Caitlin sprawled out in the passenger's seat, he's beginning to seriously rethink his earlier position on the benefits of having a vehicle.

Wearing khaki shorts and a tank top, Caitlin's jammed her seat back as far as it will go, bare legs stretched before her, ankles crossed and propped up along the edge of the dashboard, all red toenail polish and abandoned flip flops. Her long strands of soft curls are fluttering across her shoulders in the open windowed breeze and her eyes, dark and no doubt smiling as warmly as her red stained lips, are hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The fingers of her left hand are tapping the beat of the music against her arm rest and her right arm's gripping the back of her seat, anchoring her in the crooked position.

She looks absolutely breathtaking, more relaxed than he thinks she's even been, at least since he met her. The very sight of her keeps drawing at the corners of his gaze, easily tugging a fond grin across his lips and then a laugh when he notices how she's trying to battle back the hair that streaks across her face, obscuring her view and sticking against her mouth. A flicker of jealousy twists his gut as he catches the movement, the desire to replace those strands with his lips is both foreign and familiar (it's been happening so much of late, it's no use to pretend otherwise). Her rolling eyes and hint of a smile do nothing to combat the feeling so Barry battles it back and, eyes once more placed firmly on the road, reaches for the radio dial.

A few notches north and the sound of an upbeat country song trumps out the roar of the wind through the open windows, filling the car with its easy melody. Barry's never been much of a country music fan himself, but Iris had gone through a phase a few years ago and he recognizes the song from her brief love affair with Lady Antebellum. It's actually a pretty good one, so he dives into the lyrics, spurred on by Caitlin keeping tempo with the steady drum of her fingers and tap of her toes.

"We should do this more often," Caitlin says when the song fades away and something new replaces it. He doesn't know this particular song, so it serves as no distraction—his attention splits between the road and the woman beside him automatically.

Barry finds himself nodding in addition to his immediately verbal agreement. He likes this, loves this easy-going side of Caitlin (of himself) that they hardly ever get to experience. He's thoroughly enjoying throwing the weight of the world away for the afternoon, loves basking in the warm glow of sunshine and good company, an open road and limitless possibilities. "The afternoon's not over yet," he smiles, giving her a playful wink and switching on his blinker. There's an exit to an eastbound highway and a world of possibilities before them and he intends to take advantage of every opportunity they present.

So ends the first road trip. This chapter is the shortest, they get a little longer each time and they're all written so this should be completely finished within a week or so, as I get time to polish and update. Let me know what you think and hope you enjoy!

Take Care & Best Wishes,

AkaOkamiRyu