Elke hated car meets.

The loud engines, the revving, the head lights, the illegal modifications, there was nothing about the shows that interested her. They usually took place at night in carparks outside warehouses and department stores. This meant that Elke was usually cold and dreaming of getting into her bed. But the night swept away shoppers and daylight, and the abundance of parking spaces made outdoor carparks the perfect gathering spots. 

Cars would pull up to the discussed location and parade around their bright paintjobs and shiny rims. Drivers would bring their friends and boast loudly while drinking from bottles and cans. Under the street lights, the hum of predominantly male car fanatics would turn empty carparks into thriving hubs of trouble.

With her arms crossed over her chest and her weight leaning on one leg, Elke spent a majority of these gatherings on her own. She would arrive with Roan in his WRX, spend a minute with him and his friends, before they would move off to look at other vehicles. Roan would like for Elke to look with them while hanging off his arm like the other girlfriends. But she insisted that she wouldn't be his eye candy while his true love stayed parked between two white lines.

So, in the backseat of Roan's car, Elke was sat scrolling through her phone. Her elbow leaned against the window frame and her head leaned against her balled fist. The street lights went out in sporadic flashes as people passed her window. They glanced at her, wondering if they should have some empathy for the girlfriend that didn't want to be there, before walking on to look at the next car.

Passing yet another Instagram post of celebrity news, Elke sighed. She was bored and it was late. She leaned to the left to peer through the windscreen. Roan was stood in front of a blue Skyline with his three friends. With a beer in hand, Elke's boyfriend threw his head back as he laughed at something his best friend said. It was almost like he hadn't dragged his girlfriend to something she didn't want to be at.

Elke made a decision. She opened her door and made someone passing jump in surprise. She mumbled an apology all while shoving her phone into her jean pocket. Her appearance went unnoticed by Roan and his friends until Elke crossed the street. 

An engine revved and earned a collection of hoots. It made Roan turn to it's origin before catching sight of the brunette.

A grin graced his stubbled face at the possibility of Elke finally joining his side. Her pretty face against her long, brown hair was never a sight for sore eyes. Her long lashes, brown eyes and upturnt nose was naturally shaped to the ultimate beauty. 

Clad in a cropped jumper and highwaisted jeans, Elke drew eyes like she did at every car meet. When she dared to step out of Roan's car, Elke made Roan look like he had it all. A nice car, a circle of friends and a beautiful girlfriend, Roan wanted to show people that he was important.

'El, come look at this!' Roan went to meet her halfway and took her hand. Tugging her arm from her chest, the man was oblivious to the grimace on Elke's face. All he was going to show her was another car with another loud exhaust and polished paint.

As he rambled, Elke stood with a forced look of interest. The warmth from Roan beside her did nothing in the still, cold night. She was aware of the many groups of men that walked past, occassionally stringing a girl along who batted her eyelashes at anyone who looked. It made Elke uncomfortable and without alcohol, cigarettes or some other stimulant, she wanted to shrink back into Roan's car.

'I want to go home, Roan,' Elke said when he paused to take a breath. He turned to the shorter girl and tried to not show his immense disappointment.

'What?' he glanced to where his friends stood and was glad they couldn't hear them.

'I need to finish up packing. I've still got my whole bathroom to do.'

'Oh. Right, yeah...'

Roan had forgotten that Elke was going to be moving into a new apartment tomorrow. It made him feel better. He had thought that she was bored and despised being at the car meet he so desperately wanted to stand out at. But little did Roan know that Elke was indeed feeling this way but used her moving process as an excuse.

'You can stay. I'm going to call an Uber,' Elke looked up to Roan with a small smile.

'Are you sure? I can drive you.'

'No, you want to stay here. It's okay. I'll be fine.'

Even though Elke didn't care what his friends thought, she didn't want to make Roan announce his departure because of her. It would earn irritating groans and rolled eyes that would land on herself. Roan was oblivious to her dislike for car meets but his friends were more observant but lacked the interest to care. It was only if she started pulling Roan away that they would start voicing their concerns for Roan's partner choice.

'Okay, well... get home safe,' Roan used one arm to pull Elke into an embrace. He pressed his lips against her forehead, making her heart do something similar to a flutter, before pulling away.

'I love you.'

'I love you, too,' Elke smiled up at him. Turning away, she started heading down the lines of cars while pulling out her phone. 

Hearing Roan rejoin his friends, Elke occasionally looked up from her ordered Uber. The smell of cigarettes twinged her nose and she avoided meeting eyes. Men leaned against car bonnets, nudging their friends and nodding towards the lonesome girl. There were prompts to catch her attention but the night was young and most didn't have the alcohol-driven confidence yet. So, Elke walked unbothered but anxious to reach the end of the carpark.

She would have continued her rhythm of looking up if her driver hadn't cancelled on her. Elke cursed as the search for another driver overtook her screen and stepped out from a line of cars. The headlights in her peripheral made her look to the left and gasp. 

Tires screeched and the car jerked forward from the harsh brake. Elke froze in her place, standing directly in-between the headlights. She expected the horn to sound and curses be thrown out the driver or passenger window. It never came but Elke took shaky steps backwards, her heart pounding and eyes wide.

People who had watched the near-hit mumbled and whispered to each other. No one asked if Elke was okay and she didn't want them to. The embarrassment was enough already and the outline of the driver, passenger and backseat riders blared at her from the windshield.

Finally walking out of the car's way, Elke swallowed painfully. She leaned down to peer at the driver and hated the feeling in her chest. The car was full to the brim with four men and one woman. They all looked at her with parted lips and eyes ridden with surprise and concern. The driver's window was already down and with an arm resting along it's pane, he asked,

'You alright?'

'Yes. I'm sorry,' Elke said almost breathlessly and flashed a grin through her nerves. 'I... shouldn't have been looking at my phone... especially in a carpark.'

'Yeah, they usually have cars in them, so...' the passenger leaned over to call out through the window. The driver turned away to give him a look before piercing through Elke once more.

He was blonde, platinum blonde. The fluffy strands sat over his forehead while the sides and back of his head were closely shaved. His blue eyes sat against blonde eyelashes with their intense hue. He stood out in the driver's seat as his passenger was dark skinned and his backseat riders consisted of a brown moustached-man, a bald man and a dark haired woman.

'You sure you're alright?' the blonde asked again and Elke swallowed. He was yet to park the car out of the road and leaned his head out of the window. Elke's phone buzzed in her hand with the arrival of her new driver but she barely looked at it. 

The driver was genuine in his wrinkled forehead. He looked at Elke with a concern that Roan often faked. With high cheekbones and a blonde moustache on his top lip, the driver was handsome. Elke had to pull herself away from her rogue thoughts.

'Yes, thank you. Sorry, again,' she said with another smile. She watched as the driver slowly nodded and drummed his tattooed finger's against the window pane. Wanting to sulk alone, Elke turned away and saw her Uber waiting outside the carpark.

Her face burned as she made it into the backseat. She was relieved to feel the car pull away from the meet and looked out the window. The silver car that nearly hit her was pulling into a space and its inhabitants were filtering out. Elke squinted to see the blonde walk around the bonnet and meet another group that he was familiar with. Before she could see anymore, her Uber turned a corner.

Elke hated to think what Roan would have said if he had seen the event. Most girlfriends would think their boyfriend would scold the driver, somehow make it their fault in the face of their pride and protectiveness. But Elke was sure that Roan would tug her out of the way, apologise profusiously to the driver, before scolding her for being so foolish.

She would have embarrassed him in front of his friends and other onlookers. She would be considered a nuissance to his image despite her beauty. Elke was thankful that it had happened after already bidding her farewell. Now, it was just her and her embarrassment in the back of an Uber.

In all honesty, Roan wasn't a great boyfriend to Elke. He craved attention of others but never her's. His car was his lover and he made sure that she knew it. Car meets were their dates and Elke was beginning to get sick of them. She had been considering breaking things off recently but wanted to get settled in her new apartment first. Trying to unpack and establish herself in a new neighbourhood was stressful enough and a breakup would only pile on top of this. 

Although, Elke wondered how bothered would she be when she finally broke up with Roan? Had she already done the deed without telling him? The 'I love you's were routine and not genuine. He drove her when he wanted her around and texted her when he wanted to. 

Their relationship was only a year old but it lacked the intimacy that had been present in the first few months. Maybe a breakup was closer than Elke wanted to admit.

When she arrived to her apartment, Elke's things were in boxes. She was excited to finally be going to a place that wasn't temporary. Renting was difficult in The Netherlands and with the changing economy, Elke had considered moving back home with her parents. But things started advancing at the right time in her job and she was able to secure an apartment of her own in the city.

Her phone buzzed with a text. She didn't excite herself with the possibilty of seeing Roan's name. He never texted her when he was at car meets unless he wanted her to come along. That only ever happened when someone Roan respected had turned up in a more expensive car and he wanted to get the upperhand.

It was her best friend, Arabella. She was letting Elke know that she would be over in the morning to help drive everything to the new place. Elke appreciated it, sending her a heart, before getting ready for bed.