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There was a boy who sold strawberries by the side of the dusty two-lane road Lucas took every day to get to work. This was the second year in a row the boy had appeared, with his rusty old pickup truck and his handpainted wooden sign proclaiming that two cartons of strawberries were going for only five dollars.
The traffic on the road was slow moving that day, even slower than it usually was in the mornings. So Lucas watched the boy for lack of anything better to do, his honda ensconced between a minivan full of flailing children and a massive SUV with a tiny girl behind the wheel.
The boy had a straw hat-- something like you’d see in a children’s book. It should’ve looked silly, out of place, but it suited him somehow. The early morning sun cast weak shadows over his face, bathing the boy in hues of soft pinks and yellows. Lucas coasted a few cars’ lengths forward as the minivan in front of him pulled ahead.
He was closer, then. The boy was working, opening up large cardboard boxes with a boxcutter. If Lucas squinted, his could pick up the way the guy’s lean forearm muscles, exposed by his rolled up sleeves, flexed and unflexed as he worked. The boy straightened and wiped the sweat from his brow. With his hands on his hips, he surveyed the unopened boxes in the bed of his truck. Then, he turned his head to the road.
Lucas looked quickly away, to the traffic ahead, thumping his fingers in an impatient beat on the steering wheel. He wondered if there had been an accident. Traffic wasn’t normally this sluggish, even on this road.
He fiddled with the radio dials, landing at last on something that wasn’t an ad. He’d take Bruno Mars over some guy overexcitedly extolling the virtues of his mattresses any day of the week. He sang along with the few words of the song he knew-- the words everyone knew. ‘Dripping in finesse’. The minivan lurched forward in front of him, one of the kids dramatically collapsing in the backseat and bouncing right back up again.
Before Lucas took his foot off the pedal he chanced another look at the strawberry boy in his pick-up. Strawberry boy was looking back at him, his hands shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun. His grin, unshrouded in shadow, was wide. Lucas felt a brief moment of panic-- he hadn’t seen him singing along to Bruno Mars, had he? But then, why would Lucas care if he had? It’s not like strawberry boy’s judgement mattered, in the grand scheme of things. He was just another random stranger Lucas would forget weeks later.
A loud honk from behind interrupted Lucas’ thoughts. He turned back to the road and moved ahead, waving an apologetic hand at the little girl behind him in her SUV. Lucas cringed; she looked pissed.
He tried to leave his thoughts of strawberry boy behind, as he pulled ahead, but it was useless. That grin, bright and shining under the morning sun, stuck with him for the rest of the day.
Lucas was having a shit day. The AC on his car hadn’t been working all week-- which tolerable but annoying in the mornings, and downright torture on the drive home. He’d accidentally stapled his fingers yesterday in the middle of preparing the office reports and they were still sore. Jungwoo wouldn’t stop pestering him about setting him up on a blind date with one of his friends and now, on top of everything, his car was very nearly out of gas. He was sure he wouldn’t make it to a gas station on time, not at the rate traffic was moving.
Lucas kneaded his eyes, letting out a sigh. He really had no one but himself to blame. On the drive to work the day before, he’d noticed how low the tank was, and told himself he’d fill it up on the drive home. Then strawberry boy had the audacity to show up without his straw hat on and Lucas had seen his face properly for the first time in perhaps ever, and all thoughts of responsibly taking care of his gas tank had been driven from his mind.
Because strawberry boy was cute. Too cute, Lucas lamented, looking at the ticker that was pointed straight to ‘E’. God, that was embarrassing. And of course he had the misfortune to be stuck on the same road again. Cars were trickling by as slow as molasses. Lucas lowered his window to get some fresh air in the car, sticking his head out and letting the sun beat down on his face. Its warmth was pleasant now, at least, nothing like it would be after the morning haze had dissipated.
Lucas opened his eyes, slowly, dreading what he’d have to do but no longer able to deny its necessity to himself. He put on his hazards and glided over to the side of the road. For reasons unrelated to the heat, his face was burning.
Thankfully, the portly middle aged man in the Ford behind him didn’t seem to care as much as Lucas had thought he would. He sniffed, his bushy mustache bobbing up and down, but after a brief glance Lucas’ way, he simply pulled ahead. The cars behind him did the same, filling in behind the space vacated.
Lucas took his keys out of the ignition. He stared blankly at the motes of dust drifting through the airspace between the dashboard and the windshield, all lit up by the sun’s rays. He watched them until one speck had completed its journey, drifting, flitting up and down through the air until it landed just above the gauges. Then, Lucas summoned his resolve and drew out his phone.
“Hi, yeah, I’m calling to see if I can get a car towed…”
After his call to triple A, Lucas left his car. He didn’t have a strong desire to be roasted alive as the sun rose higher in the sky, lifting the temperatures with its ascension. He could walk to the nearest gas station, break his diet and feed his sorrows with a Big Texas cinnamon roll. But, he’d taken this route for long enough to know better. The nearest station was a good two miles out. Lucas slumped against his Honda.
The triple A guy had been kind enough in his explanation that they wouldn’t be able to get there for at least two hours, but it hadn’t softened the blow at all. Lucas had numbly replied that that was fine, he’d understood. Then he’d shot off a text to Taeyong explaining why he’d be late to work, and how long it would take. Then he’d sent a message to Jungwoo whining about his life’s misfortunes, only to receive a string of suspect emojis in reply.
He supposed that was his fault too. After skirting Jungwoo for days, not wanting to talk about the double date proposition, he couldn’t expect Jungwoo to be entirely sympathetic to his plight.
A sound of an engine drawing closer drew Lucas’ eyes away from his phonescreen. That in and of itself wasn’t unexpected-- not really, what with him being right by a road and all. It was the sound of an engine’s roar in conjunction with the soft swishing sounds of blades of grass being flattened, pushed down and aside.
A familiar rusty teal pickup truck was headed his way, driving half on the road’s shoulder, half off. Lucas’ eyes widened as strawberry boy’s truck approached, not really believing what he was seeing.
Then, the truck pulled to a stop right by his car. Strawberry boy stepped out, and-- Lucas swallowed-- apparently his grin was even more disarming when viewed from closer than twenty feet away.
“Need a ride?”
Strawberry boy’s pickup smelled like strawberries. Lucas should’ve known, but it was still a pleasant surprise. The moment strawberry boy made his offer, Lucas had mentally thrown out every single piece of advice he’d ever picked up regarding strangers and mystery car rides, from parents and Taeyong and murder mystery shows alike.
Lucas may be a little bit of an idiot, as evidenced by his predicament, but he was good at reading people. He could tell if someone was sincere or genuine a mile off. Strawberry boy was nothing if not sincere in his offer.
When Lucas opened up the passenger side door, he paused, unsure what to do next. Strawberry boy made a soft noise of alarm, reaching across the truck’s console to remove the opened carton of strawberries from the passenger seat.
“Sorry,” strawberry boy said, and his face was turning the same shade as the strawberries in his hand, “I was.. having a little snack.”
“It’s cool.”
Lucas couldn’t help but grin. Strawberry boy was more than cute-- he was adorable, especially with the bright red blush on his cheeks. Lucas slid into the newly vacant seat and buckled in.
He watched strawberry boy with curiosity, though strawberry boy wasn’t looking at him. Instead, his eyes flitted from his foot on the clutch to the stick shift under his hand. He was resolutely focused on his keys as he turned them in the ignition. Lucas remained quiet through it all. He was pretty sure he’d never been this silent in someone else’s presence for this long in living memory. He put his shyness down to his nerves.
“I take it you’re headed downtown?” Strawberry boy asked, finally sparing a look at Lucas.
Lucas nodded.
“Yeah. Before we go, though,” he sucked in his lower lip, cautiously smiling at the boy beside him, “My mom told me not to accept rides from strangers. What’s your name?”
Strawberry boy blinked at him, then cracked up into a sheepish grin.
“Shoot. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Mark.”
“Mark? I’m Lucas. Nice to meet you-- thank you for saving my life.”
Though it was nothing like the name Lucas had envisioned for strawberry boy (not that he’d spent a great deal of time imagining his name as he watched him work from his Honda or anything like that, shut up), Mark seemed right. It was straightforward, frank. It suited him.
“Geez, I’m only giving you a lift.”
Mark’s eyes darted to the road as he signaled to pull in. He looked pleased though, his smile going small and soft, though it didn’t dim in its effect.
“No. You’re a lifesaver, Mark. I would’ve died out there in the heat, waiting for the tow truck to arrive.”
Mark laughed, waving his thanks at the car who’d let them in. When he laughed, his whole body reacted, his face scrunched up cutely, his shoulders shaking. It was enchanting.
“You’re overdoing it a little,” he said, punctuating the words with another laugh, so soft it could have been termed a giggle.
“Only a little,” Lucas gave in, “The heat wouldn’t have killed me, but my boss would have.”
He hoped Taeyong would forgive him for that. He’d slandered him a little, just to see Mark do that full-body laugh all over again. It worked like a charm. Mark let out another bout, ducking his head down.
When Mark raised his head, he looked sideways at Lucas before training his eyes on the road. His smile made the corners of his eyes all crinkled.
“Where do you work?” he asked, after several beats of comfortable silence in the cabin of the pick-up.
“It’s an entertainment company,” at Mark’s raised brow, Lucas rushed to explain, “it’s not as fun as it sounds. I just fetch coffees and write expense reports.”
“But… c’mon. My friend works at an entertainment company too, and it seems like he runs into someone famous everyday. Do you ever get to talk to celebrities?”
Lucas spared a thought for Mark’s friend. He wondered if Mark was making them up, trying to relate or something, then dismissed that as rude and kind of judgemental. If strawberry boy said he knew someone who worked in the entertainment business, then he’d take him at his word.
“Sometimes? They’re not as fun as they sound, either, though. I’m mostly there to make sure they’re getting the right brand of mineral water.”
Mark made a disappointed sound in commiseration.
“Sucks, man. Guess I’ll stick to my strawberries after all.”
“Good plan.”
Lucas laughed, probably more than the quip warranted. But it made Mark smile his little, proud smile again, so in Lucas’ estimation, the overreaction was well worth it. He pretended he was focused on the road ahead, but in reality he was watching Mark’s lips curl and set themselves curved into the smile. Lucas’ found himself smiling too, matching the expression. Then as he watched, Mark’s lips started moving, forming words.
“Wanna try one?” Mark asked.
“Huh?” For some reason, Lucas’s mind was still caught on Mark’s lips, and his errant thoughts jumped immediately to trying something else.
“A strawberry,” Mark jutted a thumb to the opened carton in the backseat, and Lucas caught on, “they’re really good, I promise.”
Lucas felt briefly disappointed and more than a little annoyed with his mind, that he was already thinking of kissing Mark when he’d only just properly met him. Mark was doing him a massive favor, and that’s how he repaid him? For lack of anything better to do, he reached back and picked up the carton, setting it down on his lap.
He bit into a strawberry, finding it to be just the right side of ripe, red and plump without any spots too dark or too light. Lucas couldn’t hold back his sound of shock when he tasted it-- it was delicious.
The taste alone took him back to being a kid all over again. To wasting the summer days away playing hopscotch with him friends, moving indoors when the summer rains came-- big, fat, warm droplets spattering on the cement, evaporating moments later. The strawberry was the taste of home, of running in, seeking shelter from the weather only to find your mom had laid out a bowl of freshly washed summer fruits for you and your friends to snack on.
“Wow,” Lucas managed, after a moment.
“Good?”
Lucas grinned at Mark, “It’s amazing. Did you lace these with something?”
Mark snorted, and Lucas was worried to realize he even found snorting adorable when it was Mark doing it.
Mark pointed questioningly at the upcoming exit that would take them right downtown and Lucas nodded in confirmation. How had the ride gone by so fast? Usually the morning drive felt like it would never end, but here Lucas was, somehow wishing the traffic had been worse.
“Thanks,” Mark said, after they’d left the exit, “but there’s nothing except love and sunshine in these berries.”
“Take the next right,” Lucas directed. He smirked, “Love, eh?”
Mark took the right, shifting the gear stick as he slowed the pickup. He had an odd expression on his face, kind of panicked, kind of nauseous. Lucas was debating the merits of backpedaling and apologizing for flirting versus asking if Mark needed to pull over and be sick. Then, Mark cleared his throat.
“If you like them that much, you can have that carton.”
Relieved, Lucas sighed. Then tensed up once more once he realized the implications of Mark’s words.
“Oh, shit, man. Do you accept venmo? I don’t have cash on me.”
Lucas already owed Mark for giving him a ride to work, he didn’t want to just take advantage of his homegrown produce and livelihood as well.
Mark shook his head as he pulled into a spot in front of Lucas’ building.
“No charge. Seriously, you’ll be doing me a favor taking them off my hands,” Mark hesitated, as if he were about to add something. Lucas waited, but Mark shook his head again, the motion more minute this time, as if it wasn’t meant for Lucas at all.
“Well,” Lucas said, when it looked like Mark wasn’t going to continue speaking, “thank you again for saving my ass. I’ll make sure to drop by your truck again when I have cash, buy out the whole stock myself.”
Mark laughed, flicking a shy look up at Lucas from under his dark lashes. The look caught Lucas off guard. He froze in the middle of reaching to open the passenger door.
“You don’t owe me that,” Mark said, voice low.
“But I want to.”
Lucas insisted. And he did. Okay, maybe not the whole stock of strawberries. He couldn’t fit all that into his Honda, and he was barely making above minimum wage as it was. He couldn’t really justify buying that many strawberries in any way. Maybe he’d just get a cardboard box or two’s worth of berries. He’d pawn the berries off on his family and coworkers if he ended up getting sick of them.
“If you really feel like you owe me…,” Mark hesitated, again. As much as Lucas wanted to urge him on, to make him say what was on his mind, he pulled up the last dregs of his willpower to refrain from bursting out, “...youcouldgivemeyournumber.”
“...What?” Mark had spoken too quickly for Lucas to catch the words, he must have. Lucas didn’t want to get his hopes up without reason, that Mark was actually asking him for… what he’d thought he’d heard him ask. Mark took a deep breath, locking eyes with Lucas.
“You could give me your phone number? You don’t have to, of course, it’s just.. if you felt you owed me something, that could work. Just a thought.”
Mark was blushing again, his cheeks a bright crimson, his eyes shining in earnest. Lucas felt a lazy grin spreading across his face. Huh. Maybe a kiss wasn’t so far out of the realm of possibilities, after all.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Lucas replied, already reaching for Mark’s phone. Mark’s cheeks grew, if possible, even redder.
Lucas punched in his number. He added a couple of the android’s wonky heart emoticons after his name for good measure. He could tell the exact moment Mark noticed, his eyes going wide, flitting from the contact name to Lucas, and back again.
“Oh,” Mark said, and how he managed to stutter on a single syllable word, Lucas couldn’t fathom. It was hopelessly endearing. Lucas felt his phone buzz in his pocket, and he recalled where they were, and how late for work he was already. He bit his lip, wishing he could spend even a scant few more minutes in the cabin of Mark’s strawberry-scented pick-up.
“I gotta go, Mark.”
Mark powered down his phone, looking for all the world like he was trying hard not to smile and failing miserably. Lucas, on his part, didn’t even bother trying to hide his smile. He grinned as he popped out of the car, and waved.
“You better text me!” He called, not caring if the suited men and women streaming in and out of his company at his back overheard him.
Mark ducked his head, and when he straightened, there was a broad grin lighting his features. He raised two thumbs up and Lucas laughed. He couldn’t wait to earn that kiss. He wondered if Mark tasted like strawberries.