There I stood, idle, in the rain with my suitcase, waiting for the right woman to arrive to pick me up. The appeasing drizzle of rain wasn't something to chide, it felt refreshing - especially since it was in Oregon and not the ever-so-callous Night City.
As my hair dripped chatoyant in the dimly-lit streetlight above my head, I began to take in the area around. It was so much different than seeing random police officers appear from thin air to tackle the heinous crimes that transpired metres from wherever I usually stood. Here, under the streetlight in the rain, I felt as safe as ever. And it was about to get better.
From the corner of my eye drove in a red van, similar to the one Judy had in Night City with less drawings and more glimmer.
"Hey, need a ride?" Asked the familiar voice I loved dearly. Each morning I woke up to it, and each time I grew more enchanted by it.
Looking the way I heard the familiar voice, my eyes locked onto the woman inside the van, her hands holding the steering firmly as she smiled at me. Never in my life did I think I'd aspire to be a steering wheel. Things change, it seemed. From the looks of things, it was for the better.
As the cynosure to the question, I gazed toward the driver and smiled back, forever in a recurring pattern of smile, feel weird inside and then fall in love. If every day was like that for the rest of my days, I wouldn't mind it. I had the best girl to do it with.
"Yes, please!" I laughed, hurrying toward the van, elated. As I jogged, the side door of the van opened up, allowing me to throw my suitcase in - not in a very athletic way, however. Once the suitcase was secure, I was ready. Not to enter the van — that too — but to start a new life, alongside the greatest partner I could ask for.
"Come on, Y/N, we don't have all day." Judy joked, leaning into the light and reaching over to open the passenger door for me, which I hopped into swiftly as the side door to the van simultaneously shut, automatically.
"Thank you!" I exhaled, closing the passenger door behind me. And then, it hit me. Not the door, but reality.
There I sat, next to Judy Alvarez, a woman who'd given it all up for me. A smile dressed my lips as for the first time in a long time I felt right at home. Nothing to fear, nothing to doubt. We were ready to move on with our lives, together.
As I reached my dripping wet hand forward, it was met by Judy's. She grasped it carefully, entwining our fingers together in a smooth motion. Once I felt it, I turned to her, my pleading eyes meeting hers. We shared a smile, only for a second, but it felt like a lifetime.
"You good?" Judy asked, caressing my hand lightly.
To which I replied. "Best."
I briefly blinked away from Judy's gaze and looked down toward our entwined hands, instantly being blinded by a glistening light. Judy pressed on the accelerator and drove forward, to which the blinding light faded, revealing matching rings.
Life was looking pretty sweet.