treacherous (calum hood)

bad day

Evie sat in the parking lot outside of Seaside Diner. Living in a town that wasn't located anywhere near a water source, the name had always confused her. The music playing out through her speakers was turned up loud as she waited for the uber app to notify her of someone in need of a ride. Her last passengers were a couple from out of town that had requested to be dropped off at the diner, so here she sat. It was a weird thing that someone was here from out of town since the town was not a touristy place. As she sat in the parking lot, she did, slightly, feel weird thinking about the possibility that the couple could be thinking she was waiting for them or had intentions to stalk them or anything like that. She knew the couple couldn't care less about their uber driver in the parking lot, but she had a weird mind at times. She just wanted to make more money, but the world seemed to be against her at the moment because no one in a ten mile radius needed a ride. She let out a sigh as she dropped her phone in the cup holder. Her head leaned against the steering wheel while the music became clear in her ears. The lyrics barely comprehending in her mind before a commercial came on. She thought about just going home and giving up on trying to make some extra cash until her phone went off from its spot in the cup holder. She grabbed it in a hurry to see that someone needed a ride just a few minutes from where she was. She instantly accepted it as she cranked her car and went on her way.
Your uber is five minutes away. Ashton locked his phone and slid it in his pocket as he located a bench near the corner to sit down on. The sweat dripping off his forehead was a sign that he had been traveling at a fast speed for quite a distance. He figured he had run long enough, and an uber would only cost him a little bit. He had a black duffel bag sitting next to him with contents that were something he didn't even want to think about. He had gotten up this morning thinking it would be a good, normal day, but, of course, his boss had to change all that. He was slowly cooling down, but refused to take off the black jacket he wore over his black shirt with his black jeans. It's no wonder that he was sweating so much. The 90° heat was being absorbed by his all black attire. He checked his phone again right as a car pulled up in front of him. He verified the make and model that were on the screen before making his way to the back door.
"Ashton?" The driver confirmed when he opened the door.
"Yeah. That's me." He gave his verbal confirmation as he got in and shut the door. She waited for an opening in the traffic to pull away from the curb and started driving. At the first red light she came to, she glanced in the rear view mirror.
He was sitting with his elbow resting on the door, hand on his chin with his thumb, pointer, and middle finger grabbing at his lip. He gave off a slight nervous vibe, but also a subtle hint of anger. She didn't think he looked like he wanted a conversation, but her mouth was moving before she could stop it.
"Bad day?" He shook out of his trance where he was staring out of the window. A slight 'huh?' left his lips before he processed her words.
"Feels like I've had a hundred of 'em." He said shaking his head thinking back on his morning. She slowly nodded her head as she continued driving. She knew from the app that he wanted to be dropped at the coffee shop. It was one that she had never been to, but she had heard of it. She didn't get the feeling that he was in the mood to talk anymore, so she turned on the radio at a low volume. Enough so that it could be heard, but not loud enough to disrupt any thoughts that he might be lost in. He appreciated it because the previous silence had been deafening. He didn't necessarily want to talk to the stranger he was in the vehicle with, so the music was enough to pull him away from his own mind. It was only a few minutes later when she pulled up to the coffee shop. He opened his door and put one foot out before stopping.
"Can you wait for me? I'll pay you, I promise, but don't wanna have to wait again. Just need to go up the road." He looked at her, an almost pleading look in his eyes.
"Of course. Where to?" She asked with a kind smile.
"Peters Street. Just at the corner's fine." She nodded her head before watching as he got out completely. Before he shut the door, he looked at her with a playful smile coming to his lips. "Don't go anywhere." So, she sat and waited. She thought about the address he wanted to go to. It was a little more than 'up the road'. It was going to take about twenty minutes, but she was more than happy to do it since she lived on the other side of town and needed to head in that direction. She saw the duffel bag in the backseat out of the corner of her eye that had been left in her care. She wondered what it was, but assumed it was his gym clothes or something. She recalled that he was quite sweaty when he got in the car. She hummed absentmindedly to the music on the radio until she heard the door open. He climbed in with his iced coffee and took a sip.
"Let me get the app back-" She cut him off with the shake of her head.
"Don't worry about it. That's on my way back to where I need to be. It's just a favor." He opened his mouth to protest but decided against it. She had been shocked at the words that came out of her mouth since she needed the money, but she went with it.
"You're making my bad day better." He told her with a small chuckle.
"Well, bad days are no fun."
"But, bad days can give you some good stories. People are parties love to hear about 'em."
"I'll remember that on my next bad day. I need to remember it so I'll be interesting at parties." She told him as he sent her a large smile. "I wanna hear a good story." Their eyes met for a brief second through the mirror as he sipped on his coffee. He averted his eyes as he looked lost in thought for a minute.
"Oh, okay, I've got one," he began, "Mara, this girl I went on a date with once, told me she was leaving me as soon as the waiter walked away with my credit card after a $100 meal. She was a straight up bitch!" Evie couldn't help but to laugh along with him.
"Damn, that was not a cool move." She said from the front seat. He shook his head in agreement with a smile that wouldn't leave his face.
"Another time, my friend and I broke each other's thumbs during a thumb war. We were wasted, but the pain the next day sucked." Evie wished she knew this guy better. He seemed to lead an interesting life that she wouldn't mind experiencing. She could use a little excitement these days with some friends her own age. Ashton sat back in his seat as he tried to think of more things to tell her, but there were a lot of bad days that he couldn't legally discuss. He was happy with the ride he had gotten today. She almost made him completely forget about how his morning turned to shit with a single phone call or how he did unexpected cardio for thirty minutes. Damn, he really needed to start working out more. He talked to Evie for a few minutes longer until he requested the radio be turned up and voices silent. She didn't mind, there wasn't much of a drive left anyways.
It was only a short minute or two before they reached Peters Street. The car came to a stop, and he thanked her. He got on his phone as soon as he exited the car before walking down the street. She looked at her phone right before she continued her drive home to see a notification pop up showing that she got a five star review and a $150 tip. She was in shock at the amount and turned to try and spot him. He wasn't anywhere to be seen on the street, and she didn't know which direction he had headed. She thought about trying to follow him, she didn't know why, to thank him? Or to give the money back? She didn't think she deserved it, but this was a shady part of town with trouble written on every surface, and the money more than made up for the lost miles she gave as a favor. She closed the app after turning off her availability before continuing the rest of the way towards her home. She didn't know much about the man besides his first name and his choice of coffee was iced. There was something about him that was different than the other people she had driven around. She got a weird feeling from him, it wasn't necessarily bad, but, maybe, a tinge unsettling. Whatever the feeling was, she couldn't pinpoint, but she did want to see him again someday. She would find that her mind drifted to him over the next few weeks, and everytime it did, she hoped he wasn't having another bad day.

a/n: let's see where this story goes!