Tessa had grabbed her jeans and trainers before getting into the passenger seat. The items of clothing sat awkwardly in her lap while Steve pulled away from the house. Tessa bit her lip but couldn't help smiling at her actions. She glanced at Steve expecting to find him staring at her with a scowl. He wasn't. He was looking dead-ahead at the road like a good driver.
Yet Steve looked his usual grumpy self.
Tessa shivered as the cold finally hit her fully. She was, after all, sitting in Steve's passenger seat in next to nothing.
"Do you have a –"She had barely gotten the question out before Steve leaned over into the back seat and produced a slightly disgusting hoodie. He held it without looking at her straight in the eye.
Tessa tried to crush the tipsy part of her which wanted to do a weird striptease in the front of Steve's car. She managed to stifle it. She smiled and took the hoodie quickly.
"Thanks," She whispered. Steve just kept looking straight ahead.
"No problem," He mumbled in return.
Forcing it over her wet tightly curled hair, she pulled it all the way down. She didn't put her arms through the sleeves and set about unbuttoning the shirt. Steve just sighed as she twisted awkwardly and with a look of triumph, discarded her wet shirt onto the floor of the passenger seat.
"Do you always like making a scene?" Steve asked as his shoulders became noticeably tense.
"Making a scene? Who? Me?" Tessa grinned as her sarcastic tone clearly annoyed Steve. She looked down and realised she really needed to discard her soaking boxer briefs. She smirked. "No peeking now Harrington! We all know how much of a ladie's man you used to be. Can't have you trying to seduce after you see how good my goods are..." Tessa was aware she suddenly seemed incredibly drunk. She shook her head as she struggled to change. The fog lifted slightly.
"What are you doing?" Steve asked. He made sure to keep his eyes dead ahead.
"Well I'm not walking about with soaking wet boxers, am I?" Tessa huffed as she pulled off her boxers with little discomfort then started to pull on her nice dry jeans. She wriggled slightly and when Steve drove over a slight bump, her head hit the roof of the car.
"Ouch," Tessa said as she crumpled back down into the seat. She was starting to sober up quickly.
"Serves you right," Steve mumbled. "If you hadn't challenged Jake and Dick to a 'who can do the stupidest jump into the pool' bet, you wouldn't need to change out of your wet clothes! You would be perfectly dry."
His face had been tripping him all night. Tessa snuggled into his stained hoodie, which was bringing heat back to her body, and considered him for a moment.
"You know you'll have to get over it at some point," Tessa said blankly as she looked out of the window.
Hawkins was so dark at this time of year. The street lights barely cut through the blanket of black that had taken over the town.
"What are you talking about?" Steve asked but his face showed that he already knew.
"Miss Nancy Wheeler is taking up all your headspace," Tessa sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you're taking an interest in looking after my brother because god knows, I can't handle that idiot alone. But you need to let Nancy go. Yeah you were a shitty boyfriend to start off with, but you didn't break up because of that. You broke up because you both changed."
Steve drove in silence. His face was crinkled in annoyance mixed with frustration.
Tessa glanced at him and groaned. "You know maybe you need to let loose once in a while. You're becoming an old grouchy man!" She poked him in the ribcage and he jolted.
"Hey!" Steve swerved slightly on the road.
"C'mon have a little fun," Tessa teased. She jabbed him again and they suddenly came to a rough stop in the middle of the road. It was lucky it was an empty street.
Steve turned to her. "Tessa, I know how to have fun!"
"Oh really?" Tessa raised an eyebrow and folded her arms.
"Yeah!" Steve said it with exaggeration. He was trying too hard to convince her, and not himself.
"Then show me!" Tessa goaded. Her smile was manic. The thought of inciting something wild out of mothering Steve was too juicy not to take a bite into.
Steve was caught off guard. He retreated into his seat slightly.
"What?... Now?" Steve asked hesitantly.
"Yeah why not?" Tessa leaned forward and entered his personal space. "Or do I need to show you how to have fun, Harrington?" She bit her lip.
"What?" Steve looked scared.
…
Tessa sat behind the wheel of the car. She was driving as wildly as she knew how to. Having a driver's license was no fun if you didn't learn quickly how to abuse it.
"Woah! Slow down!" Steve shouted. His hands gripped the dashboard and hair swirled around crazily in the swerving motions.
"C'mon relax! I'm not even going over 50," Tessa hummed. She leaned over and turned the radio up full. Steve covered his ears, groaned, and reached forward to turn it down slightly before his hand was swatted away.
"I love this song!" Tessa shouted over the music.
Steve laughed as Tessa started to tap a drumbeat onto the steering wheel. She started singing hilariously out of tune.
"How can you just leave me standing?" Tessa screeched. "Alone in a world that's so cold!" She turned to Steve to see if he would sing the backing vocals. He shook his head as he laughed.
A cat was sitting in the middle of the road which Steve barely noticed in time. He grabbed the steering wheel and swerved them out of the way just in time.
"Focus on the road!" Steve cautioned.
"Let's pull over!" Tessa shouted over the music. Prince was still blaring loudly. Steve grabbed for the wheel as Tessa slammed the brake.
"Shit!" Steve hissed when they came to shaking stop.
"You, Henderson, will kill me one day if your little brother doesn't do it first," Steve laughed, falling back in his seat.
"C'mon for five minutes there you weren't such a downer," Tessa insisted. "Really I'm doing a public service by making you less grouchy!"
"A public service? You really are full of shit," Steve laughed as he took the keys out of the ignition. His arm grazed her chest as he leaned around.
"Sorry," Steve mumbled.
A piece of his hair flopped forward. Tessa reached up, without thinking, and pushed it gently back into place. Her eyes flicked to his lips and he was focused on hers. Their breathing slowed. The air suddenly felt colder.
Steve looked back to her eyes and coughed as he retreated.
"Right, I think we need to go get your brother," Steve sat rigidly next to her. "He'll be wondering where I am, and I need to get you home. You stink of beer."
Tessa just nodded with wide-eyes still frozen in shock.
"Yep, uh-huh, let's… let's do that," Tessa nodded.
She opened the car door and mouthed the words, 'what the fuck' to herself before walking around to slide into the passenger seat.
Steve said nothing as he started the car and took off back towards the school.