Into the Velvet

Louise's Birthday

I giggled. "This is so unnecessary."

He kissed the back of my hand. "Just let me have this, please."

It was hard to sit still. A blindfold kept my eyes bound, rendering them useless, and it was starting to tickle my nose. My left hand gripped the seatbelt for stability. We must've been on the main road now — I could feel the lurching of the engine, climbing from second to third gear.

I could feel Henry's good mood. Our plans were shrouded in secrecy. The start of my eighteenth year felt ripe with the unknown.

The good feeling only until the next sharp bend. Then I felt carsick.

"Henry? I think I might throw up."

His hand froze in my grip. "Seriously?"

I nodded in the dark.

"Okay, take the blindfold off." He sounded panicked at the thought. Henry loved his precious car like it was his lady. "I wanted to keep the surprise going until we got there. But if that's the trade-off, it may not be worth it."

My hands reached back to find the knot — it had been deftly tied by strong, lean fingers. It took some effort to undo, and as the car rocked unsteadily around me, I swallowed back the waves of nausea. And then it was free.

I saw the world in fresh relief. A sky full of clouds. Misty morning light sunning the roads, piercing the windows — it was the last of the sun, tease that she was, for she wouldn't linger once the deep cold settled.

Henry was driving with his palm against the wheel. His other hand was tangled in mine. His smile was sheepish, apologetic — a young boy's smile. "So much for wanting to take your breath away."

My response was immediate. "You already have."

That buttered him up. Grinning, he gave my hand a squeeze. Had I looked up even a second too late, I would've missed it. I almost wished I had.

Coming around the intersection, on the opposite side of the road, was a battered Subaru. Second hand. I knew the feel of that front seat — had felt the grooves of the scratches left behind by its previous owner, however it must've gotten there. I knew the sleepy frown written on the face of the lady in the driver's side. Coming steadily towards us.

My eyes widened. I gasped, swearing furiously, ducking my head below the dashboard before she could see me. "Holy shit!"

Had Bianca spotted me? Had I ducked down in time?

Henry stayed silent. Watching me from the corner of his eye. He'd known who Bianca was, more informally than I knew, and he'd recognised just how close we'd come to being spotted. But he hid it so well. The slight crease of his mouth was his only slip.

Henry and I wouldn't recover from that near-miss — a fact that I would come to understand long after. From that blunder, something between us had decidedly changed.

"I'm so sorry," I said, finding my breath again. Sitting back up and hiding my shaking hands. "I didn't mean—I hadn't known that she'd—"

"It's fine," Henry replied. And that was that.

I fiddled with the music while I tried to recover, plugging in the silver iPod that lived inside his car. It was home to the thousands of playlists that Henry would pick at whim. Such an obsolete relic, I'd thought. It really showed Henry's age.

I picked a song that I knew he liked. 'Sunshine Superman' was a snappy tune, quick to change any mood. The sides of Henry's mouth lifted.

"I'll pick up your hand and slowly blow your little mind," he sang along, softly and teasingly, finding my hand again. Placing a slow kiss against it.