All of us left the house and got in our cars. Sofia and Cyrus joined Zac's car, leaving me in Lucas car. I didn't know being in a relationship meant you were given different rights and standards or new rules. Or even space. We were just regular people, some liking each other more than others.
"Why didn't you sing along?" Lucas asked me as he started the engine to his beautiful Mercedes Benz which he recently sent to the car wash.
"Because, I'm saving my breath for the talent show," I answered, rubbing my mittens together. "And I don't care if we didn't decide of which song to do. We should ask Mr. Hanson."
"Mr. Hanson," he repeated, looking ahead and pulling out the driveway after Zac's car cleared the way. A small smile splayed on his face, a distant and content curve of the lip. Which obviously looked really nice on his face...although I wouldn't...really pay attention, anyway.
"What about Mr. Hanson?" I took off my gloves and put them back on in a repeated motion. Lucas glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
"He reminded me of the first day I met you." Those words literally made my heart beat a thousand times faster. I opened my mouth but was interrupted. "And before you ask the dumb question, yes. It is important to me and yes, it would cross my mind. So don't keep assuming I'm a jerky, popular guy who is self‐centred and extremely narcissistic."
"Whatever," I said, looking out the window.
"It's not whatever," Lucas said, his tone suddenly a little colder. My startled eyes went back to him, his jaw slightly clenched. "Maya, I'm really serious about this, okay? So even if you're joking around or just being you, it's not just whatever."
Fear replaced the nervousness in my stomach, as I looked ahead at the traffic a mid the frosted trees along the streets. Was...was Lucas mad at me? Just because I said whatever, didn't mean I really didn't care. For someone who was so very new to this, I couldn't come up with anything else to say. I should've just kept quiet. It wouldn't have hurt his feelings...I'm pretty sure. I mean, were his feelings hurt? Does he think I just don't take this relationship seriously? I mean, we just got together yesterday!
"I...I'm sorry," I said, my voice a little raspy. I cleared my throat, looking out the window. "I'm‐"
"I need to talk to you." Lucas' monotone answer cut my apology off. Another fear overlapped the one I was already having. I imagined all the kind of things he wanted to talk to me about. It was all too much for my introvert brain.
"Lucas, I'm so...I'm so oblivious to this kind of thing. And we just got together yesterday and we're having another talk the day after," I said, close to chewing my nails off.
I was really worried at this point. Was he planning to break up with me or something? And he wouldn't react to anything I say. Did I make him angry by pushing him away a lot? We came to the shopping complex where a crowd of people walked across the snowy sidewalks. Lucas turned the car to a parking lot to the side of the shopping mall.
"Lucas," I said.
"What?" he replied, turning his head to me. His green eyes looking right at my blue ones. I shivered at his gaze, knowing I annoyed him again.
"I must really be a bad...girlfriend." Lucas didn't look away after about ten seconds.
He turned to face the parking lot again and found an empty spot at the second row. He turned off the engine and stuffed the car keys into his back pocket. He fished out his phone to check something and I sat quietly, looking at my lap. Lucas called Cyrus to enquire where they found a parking lot and where to meet up. I looked out the window with my hood up.
