“Seatbelt or I won’t turn my car on.”
Lou glanced at the brunette who was already looking at her, waiting for her to put her seatbelt on. Despite the dimmed parking lot, Lou could see her face clearly. She could see the minimal lines patched on her face, those graphics of histories etched on her so beautifully, and in Lou’s soliloquy, Sandra was utterly beautiful.
With a smirk and a playful shaking of her head, Lou stared at her, “It’s midnight almost. Are you always this hostile?”
“Only to those jerk ass people and by people, I mean you.” She looked at the blonde one last time before she turned the car’s engine on, “Seatbelt, please.”
“Alright, Doctor.” Lou answered as she put her seatbelt on, “Done. So now…” She let the phrase hung loose on her tongue as Lou watched the brunette drive in reverse before Sandra successfully got them out of the hospital’s parking lot and out to the highway, “…are you finally telling me where will you take me, pretty?”
The brunette didn’t look at her; on her face was this immensely visible annoyance plastered for Lou to feast on. Despite the brunette making sure Lou could see it, the blonde was still so unbothered by it which makes the brunette even more annoyed.
“To your grave.”
“Woah, easy.” Lou laughed, settling her eyes towards the highway in front; the midnight had caved its way to the whole world – the cars passing were very minimal already, the dimmed highway was lit with streetlights, hence it looked so peaceful and serene and Lou, having a free-spirited personality, really wanted to open the car’s window – the image of herself sitting on the car’s window rail with the wind dancing through the strands of her hair was tempting, but she knew better than to do it, “At least take my underwear down to the floor, first.”
The brunette didn’t entertain her words, instead Sandra gave her a glare, “Address.”
“What?”
“What’s your goddamn address?” Sandra clicked her tongue against the roof of her lips. The blonde beside her was getting into her nerves already, “I’m not joking, Louise.”
“Baby,..” Lou placed her chin on her palm as she flirtatiously looked at the brunette driving, “…can’t you take me to your place, can you?”Â
“I’m not joking, Lou.” Sandra blurted, “What’s your address?”
“Why are you so keen in knowing my address when you can just take me to your place, hmmm?”
Sandra’s retort died in her throat, replaced by a dramatic eye roll that could curdle milk. With a silent flick of her wrist, she ignited the engine. The growl that erupted from the hood of the car was a feral beast awakening, a stark contrast to the desolate highway stretching before them. Lou, serenity shattered by the mechanical roar, lurched upright. Her nails dug into the leather seat, disbelief etching lines across her previously coy face. The once relaxed posture was replaced by a rigid alertness, a silent plea screaming from her wide, blue eyes.
“Are you out of your mind?” Lou shouted, “Bullock, I just got into an accident, remember? Don’t bring me to my grave.” Lou spoke, her face was beset with a mixture of worry and excitement, “But goodness! You’re so fucking cool!” She laughed, “I’m on 8th Avenue! But we’ve passed my avenue already!”
“You’ll be sleeping on my garage!” Sandra countered.
“I’ll be happy too!”
The brunette turned to an intersection before she gradually lowered the car’s pace, “What is your agenda?”
“What?” Lou gave her a shrug before the blonde looked at the highway ahead, “I just want to know where you live.”
“If you’re expecting a chat and an apartment tour later, I can’t. It’s midnight. I want to rest.”
“You don’t have work tomorrow. That’s your day off.”
If she was drinking, Sandra could have choked back a furious spray of water. Was Lou deliberately messing with her head? The thought of pulling over, slamming on the brakes, and demanding answers hammered at Sandra. How in the world did Lou know it was her day off? A cold dread snaked through her. This wasn’t a casual coincidence. First, the cake. Now, her day off. Lou knew something, and Sandra desperately wanted to know what.
“How the fuck did you know about it?”
The blonde looked at her strangely, a smirk on her sexy lips before she gave her a smile, “I have ways, Bullock.”
“You’re really something.” Sandra spoke, wrapping the curiosity deep inside her, “…something crazy.”
Lou laughed at her, “Before you sleep, at least show me you eat the cake first.”
—–
Lou’s hands, usually adorned with sparkling rings, were shoved deep in her pockets, a testament to her bewildered self. Her eyes swept across the vast neighborhood, a gasp catching in her throat. The space was opulent, a symphony of expensive finishes. The view, however, stole the show. Through the expansive space, Copenhagen sprawled out – a tapestry of colorful rooftops punctuated by the gleaming spire of a cathedral. But something about the silence in the air, the utter lack of personal effects, sent a shiver down Lou’s spine. The rent here had to be astronomical, yet it felt… empty. Like a luxurious cage.
“This? You live here? In this neighborhood?”
Sandra closed her car as she gave the blonde a nod, “Yeah. Why?”
“You’re so rich!”
“Not really.” The brunette leaned on her car as she watched the blonde look around, like a little child full of curiosity, “Been here for almost a month already.”
Lou turned back at her, “Do you ever miss it?”
“What?”
“Those yellow cabs? That bustling city? The city that never sleeps?”
If there was one thing she missed, a little lesser than Cate, it was New York. Lou’s question made the brunette smile. The way Lou described the city just sounded so dreamy to her ears. Denmark was a beaut, but New York was something else.
The brunette smiled back at the blonde, and with an almost whisper, she said, “I do. Every second.”
Lou walked towards the brunette before she imitated the way the brunette leaned on the car. That midnight was full of stars and the cicadas were singing through the midnight air. Lou was silent for a little while, before she turned to look at the brunette beside her once again.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“Why are you here?”
The question sounded like a bomb. That simple four-word question felt so heavy for Sandra – as if her bones had weighed even heavier than the last. Sandra froze. She knew the simplicity of its answer and what Lou meant by it, but how could that simple question made the hair on her nape raise? Sandra truly felt like there was a hidden question beneath that question.
She gulped, swallowing a lump on her throat and forcing herself not to cry, “It’s my dream.”
“To be a medical doctor?”
The repressed yearning and the sleeping rage inside the brunette broke out and seeped into the crevices of her own flesh. The wrapping she did for her female rage got destroyed like a flimsy little vase. And with a sad smile, she shook her head.
“To get away from that feeling.” Sandra bent her head, silently begging all the gods to let Cate appear in front of her magically, “To get away from that spine-folding feeling of missing her. But you know what? I could try to pretend that I don’t miss her or that I’m healed and I’m no longer thinking about her, but the truth is, Cate occupies my whole being every second of everyday,..” She smiled tragically at Lou before she continued with a melancholic, “…rent free.”
***
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