I released my last piece of hair from the curling iron, smiling to myself. Ryan was brushing his own hair beside me. I stole a glance at him, catching him looking at me through the mirror. He was standing in front of his own sink, still in his pajamas.
"Are you excited?" he asked, reaching over to grab his toothbrush.
"Yeah." I pushed myself up so I was sitting on the counter, facing the side mirror and opening it to grab my makeup. I finished just after Ryan got done brushing his teeth.
"You can get dressed first," I said to him. "I still have to pick out an outfit."
While Ryan dressed, I grabbed white shorts and a mint green tank top with navy blue anchors on it. I put it on after Ryan got out, then fixed up my purse and slung it over my shoulder.
"I'm ready." I said.
Ryan twirled the keys in his hand. "Let's go."
"Wait," I grabbed his arm, smiling at him. "Thank you for this."
"Anytime."
As we found our way to the exit, I realized that the last time I had traveled this way was to training camp, and I was fifteen. That was two years ago.
"Would you like to drive?" Ryan asked, stretching out his hands and dangling the keys from his fingers.
I bit my lip, casting my eyes downwards. "I, uh, I never learned how to, er...drive."
He tried to hide his surprise, but he was failing. "Oh, okay, that's completely...normal. So normal."
I laughed. "Not, it's completely not. But they told me, since I was to be here for the rest of my life, that there was never any reason for me to learn how to drive."
I quickly walked forward and slid into the passenger's side before he could say anything else. I was so embarrassed. A seventeen year old not knowing how to drive? Ugh. I didn't have to tell him that.
Ryan got in the driver's side, starting the car. But before he drove away, he turned his head to look at me. There was uncertainty in his eyes, but he leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Well, I'll find a way to teach you. How does that sound?"
All I could do was nod, slightly short of breath and covered in goosebumps despite the warmth of the car. Did he have to whisper in my ear like that? Of course, there were probably all sorts of cameras in this car, but still. Why?
I ducked my head so he couldn't see the red in my cheeks, which unfortunately meant I couldn't see his expression as he started driving. What did he mean by that? Why would he go out of his way to teach me how to drive? He was certainly different from when we first started working together.
We sat in silence for a few minutes until I started fiddling with radio. One thing I always made sure of was that I was up to date on music. It was my first love, and helped me through everything. I sang quietly along, earning a few curious glances from Ryan. Twenty minutes later, we arrived at our destination.
I looked up at the building in front of me, unable to suppress my giggles.
"Here we are, sweetheart."