MYLES POV

She is wearing a dress that stopped before her knees, and the old white Nike shoes she wore back in California. I couldn't take my eyes off her. She was remarkably pretty and oblivious to it.

"I shouldn't talk with him?" Ken's eyes wrinkle around the corners as he taunts his daughter, who's now mortified and is blushing deeply, hiding behind her flowing wavy hair.

"Let's go." She shyly mumbled. It is genuinely endearing. I struggled to quell my sudden mischievous smile at her reaction while I took the keys from her father and headed for the driver's side of the car.

"Drive safe, put on your seatbelts. Make sure the lights are on and do not drive away while the traffic light is red." Ken points out, showing and sounding concerned.

My lips parted, I was about to assure the man I would be careful when Cali's lips pulled into a strained smile.
"Dad, please. He does know how to drive." She grumbled almost under her breath but loud enough for Ken and me to hear.

When she and I got into the car, I texted Hudson, a friend who had moved to Texas for school. We then buckled our seatbelts as Ken had reminded us (not that we wouldn't). My whole life, I've always remembered that rule.

"Dad can be embarrassing." Cali disconcertingly apologizes.

She is anxious and embarrassed when there is nothing to be embarrassed about. It's just me. I will never make her feel bad about anything.

To soothe her, I grabbed her hand and brought it to my lap as the car began moving.

"I like him. I enjoy his company." I flashed her a tight-lipped smile, hoping to see the hesitation on her face fade, and gladly, it began as I continued, "He showed me Brayden's old truck and I found out yours is the brand new Honda that hasn't been touched."

"It held the blood of my best friend. It would probably sit there. I would never drive it."

"So you could drive, but just not the Honda?" I had thought it was a brand-new car. Ken said it was replaced, not repaired. How could it still hold the same memory if so?

"No. In general." Her voice was small and sad. I should terminate the conversation, because it was apparently hurting her.

"Okay." I agreed and squeezed her small hand while I focused on the road.

"You are not going to convince me?" She confusedly asked after a few seconds of nothing.

My glances at her were brief, as I had to share them with the road.
"Why would I convince you?"

"You know all those lies people say to provide me with comfort. Like cars are safe, or the accident was going to happen anyway even if I wasn't behind the wheel, or that Chloe would've still passed away that night even in her own bed peacefully."

When I shot a sidelong glance at her, she was staring at me with eagerness behind the naiveness in her eyes. I took the turn in the direction Hudson had sent in my email.

"I strongly agree with the last two points you listed. Cali, Chloe's time was over. There was nothing that would've granted her any less or more seconds. But I wouldn't lie to you like everyone else. I know that cars shouldn't be completely trusted for our safety, but we need them in our lives. I know that each time we pull off onto the road in them it is a risk we dare to take. I also know that the world and everything we do in it is like games of luck, some lose while some are defeated and some just effortlessly succeed. Despite our fear of steel, there are yet a considerable number of people who retire after maybe... seventy years of driving successfully, without having any scratches from their vehicles. Affirmative, there have been accidents, people who lost their lives, Chloe, my parents, and those we don't even know. But those were the less lucky ones who took the risk." Through my statement, I felt her eyes on me while I drove.

"Your parents died in a car crash?" she cautiously whispered in the tenderest voice. I felt it piercing my chest. There is no way I can look at her now.

"Yes." I swallowed and inhaled. "I didn't see how it happened. I wasn't there. But after seeing the wrecked vehicle, I never thought I would be there again. The whole time in high school, I ran with my legs on time to make it to classes every morning, rather than follow the school buses or let anyone give me a ride. I spent eight years of my life hating everything with wheels. So I wouldn't lie to you, Cali; it's okay to be scared. And it's most definitely okay to take your time to heal." I do understand her.

Another minute passed in silence. I took the time to compose my emotions, and just when my eyes reached her, she curiously spoke, "What changed your mind?"

I beamed.
"Planes."

Her pupils dilate, and she shifts in her seat and crosses her legs onto it, just as she used to last summer.

"In what way will planes be of any help?" She said, as though it was impossible to believe.

"I will show you."

"How?" She first smiles grippingly and slowly, until recognition dawns on her, and her eyes dart to the windshield, wandering around each side of the road before they narrow back to me. "Wait, why are we driving in the wrong direction?" She softly chuckled in between asking.

I laughed at her for just acknowledging it now, and her elbow tried to nudge my ribs, but I shifted slightly, so she mostly hit the seat.

"This is not the direction of Scarlett Maverick's house, Myles. It is not the direction of anywhere."

"I know."

She bites her lips and scrutinizes me with conspicuous amusement in her complexion.
"You do know there is no Hollywood sign in Texas, right?"

"Stop fretting. I would not butcher you." I chortled, and this time she successfully nudged my ribs.

Ouch.

"I was just kidding." I groan and she giggles.

"Okay, thanks for your truthfulness." She pulled our interweave fingers to her lips until I could feel the warmth of her kiss against my skin. My whole body reacts to her.
"Sorry." She beams radiantly, wiggling her brows. It was gorgeous, she was gorgeous. She has this stunning effect on me, that is calming and exhilarating. I am so glad I am here with her.

I've come to learn that love isn't a weakness, hate basically is. Because for Cali, I could do anything even if the chances of succeeding were too high. She made me see the facts in front of me and encouraged me to stand for what I wasn't able to fight for.
Ever since the airport last year, I had known she and I weren't just in love; we wanted more. We wanted to live differently. Cali wanted romance and I was a fool of her intimacy. We wanted to be able to write our story. To memorize and engrave every inch of the moment we were together, and to have it live with us for eternity. That way, when it's seventy years from now, she would read it to me, and I would read it to her.

CALISTA POV

The pool idea was some deceitful stunt to come back to my house over and over again and we all know why that is. So there is no way I am leaving that. Granted, a few days ago, Scarlett would've been welcomed to my house, she'd be an important guest as she was considered to be. But with the presence of Myles and my brother in the house, there is nothing I want more than to have her far away from me. It was just like last year when I had to encounter Autumn and I felt a tingle of liveliness of mind to stand for what I didn't want to lose.

When I stepped out of the front door, I found my dad and Myles and the garage hanging open.

Dad!

"What are you doing?"

"I shouldn't talk with him?" Dad's eyes crinkled at me. I could feel Myles stare too, he wasn't going to blink even for once. It made me wonder what was going through his head and what he and my dad had talked about before I got here. Was it about me?

That had me blushing. I chew my inner cheeks and look down.

"Let's go," I murmured at Myles, who was still amusingly watching me like I was some newborn child.

He finally took the car key from dad and walked over to the driver's side with a restrained smile on his face at my embarrassment.

"Drive safe, put on your seatbelts. Make sure the lights are on and do not drive away while the traffic light is red."

All the time he reminded Myles of those regulations, I was silently signaling to him to stop but he deliberately ignored my eye twitch and steadied his eyes on Myles.

Embarrassed and hoping I had some power where I could mind link with my dad and Myles wouldn't know anything we discussed, I ended up grumbling, "Dad, please. He does know how to drive."

Dad only smiled, given he had accomplished his intentions and I mentally rolled my eyes.

In the car, as I was fixing my seatbelt, Myles went through his phone. I waited in silence until he was done and ready.

When he set his phone to the holder, I mortifying apologized for dad. Instead, Myles watched me intently, as though he wanted me to know something, but occasionally, he took my hand in his and took them to his thigh before he turned on the engine and drove off.

"I like him. I enjoy his company." He finally said after when I thought he wasn't going to continue with the topic. He had a tight-lipped smile before he appended, "He showed me Brayden's old truck and I found out yours is the brand new Honda that hasn't been touched."

Great. I knew Dad was up to something the moment I saw the garage open, and inwardly I knew he had discussed things about me with Myles.

"It held the blood of my best friend. It would probably sit there, I will never drive it." I grumbled, looking outside through the window.

Myles's thumb stroked the back of my hand, it was nice. I brought back my eyes to our linked hands.

"So you could drive, but just not the Honda?" He curiously asked.

These are those topics you do not want to talk about because you easily find yourself reliving them the moment anything takes you back to them.

"No. In general." I chirped, with too many emotions in my throat.

The thing was, it's hard to deny Myles anything. But if I could, I would tell him I wanted to talk about something else.

So it was a miracle, he potentially read my mind, and only responded with a single word, finishing off the conversation. He squeezed my hand affectionately and focused on the road.

I watched him silently while his eyes were fixed on the road. He was always so different from others.
"You are not going to convince me?" I asked him.

Most of the people I come across, tend to incline for more information about everything, they live for those kinds of things, but with Myles, it was something else.

I know he's curious about a lot of things pertaining to me and how we left things unfinished, but he overlooked his longing for answers and sided with me when I needed him.

"Why would I convince you?" He shared his attention between the road and me.

"You know all those lies people say to provide me with comfort. Like cars are safe, or the accident was going to happen anyway even if I wasn't behind the wheel, or that Chloe would've still passed away that night even in her own bed peacefully."

"I strongly agree with the last two points you listed. Cali, Chloe's time was over. There was nothing that would've granted her any less or more seconds. But I wouldn't lie to you like everyone else. I know that cars shouldn't be completely trusted for our safety, but we need them in our lives. I know that each time we pull off onto the road in them it is a risk we dare to take. I also know that the world and everything we do in it is like games of luck, some lose while some are defeated and some just effortlessly succeed. Despite our fear of steel, there are yet a considerable number of people who retire after maybe... seventy years of driving, successfully, without having any scratches from their vehicles. Affirmative, there have been accidents, people who lost their lives, Chloe, my parents, and those we don't even know. But those were the less lucky ones who took the risk."

While he spoke earnestly, I watched him with a pulsating heart in my ribcage. It is then I knew we had even more in common than I ever thought we could.

"Your parents died in a car crash?" My voice was a careful whisper. It bothered me that I didn't know about it. I didn't know he felt what I had to feel after losing Chloe. And then it bothered me that I could possibly miss a lot of pieces about him.

"Yes." His throat shifted. He kept his gaze straight on the road. I almost wanted to believe he was avoiding looking over at me.

He continues, "I didn't see how it happened. I wasn't there. But after seeing the wrecked vehicle, I never thought I would be there again. The whole time in high school, I ran with my legs on time to make it to classes every morning, rather than follow the school buses or let anyone give me a ride. I spent eight years of my life hating everything with wheels. So I wouldn't lie to you, Cali; it's okay to be scared. And it's most definitely okay to take your time to heal."

I could feel in every inch of his complexion that he understood me. He knows how I feel. I was speechless for over a minute.

"What changed your mind?" I probed when I was able to find my voice.

Myles beamed.
"Planes." He uttered.

He must be making jokes. I inspected him thoroughly but he seemed deadly serious. My eyes almost popped out. I readjusted my sitting position and faced him. Usually, he has had me sitting this way since last year with his shocking confessions. I don't know how.

"In what way will planes be of any help?"

"I will show you." He challenged.

"How?" I cluelessly asked.

A confused smile was slowly spreading over my face. I tried to process his words over and over in my head but it wasn't helpful.

Briefly in passing, my eyes flicker to the windshield, and then to each side of the road. I was utterly distracted, I didn't pay attention to the road. I didn't even give him the directions to the address.

"Wait, why are we driving in the wrong direction?" I chuckled in between asking. Is it possible he was only driving around until I acknowledged it? But then again, we are in the middle of nowhere.

Myles laughed at me. He wouldn't say anything. It prompted me to nudge him with my elbow, but he was swift to dodge. I didn't get him.

"This is not the direction of Scarlett Maverick's house, Myles. It is not the direction of anywhere." I cautioned him.

"I know." He nodded.

Okay, now I'm getting suspicious.

"You do know there is no Hollywood sign in Texas, right?"

"Stop fretting. I would not butcher you." He chortled, and this time I successfully got to prod my elbow into his ribs.

"I was just kidding." he playfully groaned, and I laughed at his whining.

"Okay, thanks for your truthfulness." I pulled our interweave fingers to my lips and kissed the back of his hand softly.

Myles reciprocally smiled at the gesture.

"Sorry," I whispered with a smile as I playfully wiggled my brows at the charming man watching me behind the wheel.

He exhaled then.