She walked along the side of the road in an easterly direction, her eyes well adjusted to the darkness, it being two-thirty in the morning. The asshole was making her go to the store again and god forbid that she use the car. She was talking on her cell phone, just happy to know that someone knew where she was.
Since it was so late, there wasn't much traffic. She was surprised, then, when a car slowed behind her, shining its headlights around her. She turned her head, but couldn't see through the glare of the lights. She waved to the car to go past her but instead, he pulled up beside her.
"Hey, there. Need a lift?" She turned and looked in the window on his black Dodge Charger. He wasn't bad looking, probably mid-twenties, a little scruff on his chin and cheeks. His hair was dark, as were his eyes. The way he leaned over toward the passenger side let his black leather jacket hang open, the pocket t-shirt underneath stretching slightly around his muscles.
"Um, hold on" she said to the phone. "No, but thanks. It's only another couple of miles." She turned and started walking again but the car pulled up beside her again.
"Come on. Get in. It's only another couple of miles, but it's cold and you're not dressed warmly and you're not wearing any shoes." He certainly sounded earnest.
"How do you know I'm cold," she said, a touch of defiance in her voice.
"Well, the fact that it's about forty degrees out here and your shirt isn't exactly keeping secrets."
She looked down and sure enough, the nipples on her large breasts were poking through her dark blue shirt. She shivered slightly, since it was in fact cold. Her lack of footwear didn't help, since the pavement was cool now. She hesitated, thinking the car looked warm, not to mention the man was trying to be helpful, but she didn't want to become another missing woman.
"Look. I'm not some kind of freak who steals women. I'm just a helpful guy who's trying to get you where you're going." He smiled at her, a genuine smile that sent a small shiver down her spine, though it might have been the cold.
"Okay, mister. You look nice enough, so I'll go with you. But don't try anything funny."
"Okay, Miss. You got it." He leaned over further and opened the door, pushing it outward so that she could get in. He waited for the door to slam shut like it always did and then pulled back out onto the road and headed east.
"Hi. I'm Adam," he said, sticking his hand out for her. She looked at it sideways and then shook it quickly.
"Nice to meet you, Adam. What brings you out this way so late?"
He chuckled. "Well, I was at my girlfriend's house and we got into a fight and she kicked me out, so I'm heading home. How about you?"
She chuckled in return, adjusting the warm breeze from the vent. "I'm going to the store."
"The store? At two forty five in the morning? Alone? With no car?"
"Yeah, well. It's complicated." She turned and looked out the window, obviously not wanting to talk about it. Adam was about to say something, but thought better of it.
They drove on in silence for a few minutes, both lost in their thoughts. She was pulled from her reverie by the slowing of the car.
"What the hell," he said. A couple of police cars were blocking the road. One of the officers walked up to the window and Adam rolled it down. "Something wrong, officer?"
The policeman shined his flashlight into the window, but keeping it low. "Sorry, sir. There's a tanker accident about half a mile up the road. Where you folks headed?" He nodded when Adam gave him their destination. "In that case, you'll have to turn around and go back to the county road, hang a left and follow that for a mile or so, the turn left again and come into town by way of the Gordon Freeway there. You know where I mean?"
"Yes, officer. Thanks."
"Y'all have a good night, now."
Adam rolled up the window and backed up slightly, allowing himself more room for the u-turn. "Well, that's a fine how-do-you-do. Sorry this is going to take a little longer than I thought. But hey. At least we're warm and we have company."
She laughed despite herself. "Yes. Yes we do."
As they drove on, she began singing softly to herself. After a moment, she realized that even though he was looking at the road, he was listening to her. "Sorry," she said. "I have this tendency to sing."
"That's okay. I like it. I usually sing too, but you beat me to it. Plus, I usually sing to the radio."
She reached over and turned the radio on, finding a good station right away. Both of them started singing along with the radio. At one point, they both missed a pitch badly and started laughing at each other, the tension melting away.
