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“Are you ready?” She gasped slightly, her face immediately lifting to look at him in excitement. He looked a little tired from working so hard, his golden eyes dull and his hair disheveled. She hoped that getting out of the house would help him cheer up.
“You’re done?” she asked. She nearly fell off the couch as she moved to stand, watching him chuckle at her.
“Yeah, I just finished. Let’s go!” he said enthusiastically. He held out his hand for her to take it, but then he eyed it, pulling away to wave her forward with it instead.
She decided not to ask, her thoughts elsewhere while she followed close behind him as they moved through the house towards his garage. His hoodie had come off since she’d seen him last, only a black tank top remaining. She quickly decided that it would be better for her heart if she focused on her surroundings instead of the fact that his biceps were on display.
He pushed open the garage door, bowing dramatically for her to enter first. She stepped forward with an eager grin, the only light coming from the room behind her. He shut the door as he joined her, throwing her into pitch darkness.
“Oh yeah, these are nice cars,” she teased, nodding her head even though he couldn’t see. He let out a snicker before she heard the flick of a switch.
Suddenly, the whole room was illuminated, her eyes narrowing before they adjusted. When they did, she was met with the sight of four stunning sports cars, all of which she’d heard and seen so much about. The bright fluorescent lights reflected off the shiny paint jobs and made them all the more beautiful.
“Whoa,” she breathed, taking a few curious steps forward to get closer.
“Allow me to formally introduce you to my babies,” Seven spoke, stepping to her side with a hop. She glanced at him, seeing that the usual sparkle in his eyes was shining, and that was a big part of the reason she’d asked for a ride in one of his cars.
Her eyes kept gravitating towards one car in particular. It was the one she’d heard him talk the most about, and it really was a sight to behold. She’d looked up what the model was a few times just out of curiosity, but maybe part of her wanted to be able to impress him if she needed to.
“Which one will we be taking for a spin tonight, m’lady?” he asked, gesturing for her to choose. Her mouth fell open, her heart palpitating in her chest.
“You’re letting me choose?” she asked in disbelief, thinking that he would have been the one to make all the decisions. But he grinned, nodding enthusiastically.
“It was your idea, so you can choose!” he smiled, putting his hands in his pockets as he watched her wiggle a little from excitement.
“Can we take the Herrari California?” she asked after a moment of thought. His eyes widened, and he tilted his head at her.
“Someone’s done their research,” he said, his smile growing. He began walking towards the car, but then he stopped and leaned close to her.
“Did you know that she’s my favorite?” he whispered like it was a secret. She laughed, covering her mouth and watching him.
“Maybe,” she whispered back, unable to help the butterflies that stirred in her stomach when he laughed in response.
They both walked over to the car quickly, her eyes widening as she grew closer. She didn’t know much about the car other than its name and that it was expensive, but it was a very nice shade of red.
“Ahh it’s so pretty!” she sighed, not daring to touch it. He put his hands behind his head, sighing in that cocky way that he did and smirking at her.
“Thanks, I picked the color myself,” he bragged, making her snicker a little. He eyed her, raising his eyebrows like he wasn’t joking.
“Aren’t they all red?” she laughed, seeing him lean on his knees and gape at her.
“And here I was thinking you’d become an expert just for me!” he exclaimed, covering his face and pretending to sob. She rolled her eyes, smiling and putting her hands on her hips.
“I think you’d get jealous if I knew everything about your baby,” she reasoned, seeing him peek through his fingers at her. After a few seconds, he ran both hands through his hair, sighing like nothing had happened.
“You’re right!” he grinned, turning to walk over to the wall behind the car. He opened the box there, pulling out what she guessed were the car keys.
“Just so you know,” he said, looking over his shoulder as he closed the box. “Not every Herrari is red. This is actually shade number FF2800,” he said, making her giggle under her breath. Of course he’d memorized the exact color number.
“Well, shade number FF2800 looks absolutely gorgeous. Can we get in now?” she laughed, seeing his eyes crinkle with his grin.
“Please,” he said, unlocking both doors with the click of a button. She pulled the handle, the smell of leather immediately filling her senses. She slipped into the car, admiring the all-black, spotless interior before glancing over at him.
“Think the inside is pretty too?” he asked, placing one hand on the wheel. She nodded, smirking a little.
“Just like you,” she teased, reaching over to poke his cheek before he snickered.
“My hair isn’t quite the right shade for me to pass as a Herrari though,” he replied, adjusting his seat a little and checking his mirrors. She could have sworn she saw a slight blush move into his cheeks, but he turned to look at her again, pulling her attention away.
“Did your research show you this little detail?” he asked, his eyes shining excitedly. Her jaw dropped as he pushed a button, the top of the car lifting from above them. Maybe she’d seen the word convertible when she’d searched the internet, but it was a pleasant surprise either way. She let out a giddy breath as she watched the car work its magic, knowing that his eyes were watching her carefully.
“We should go before we miss the sunset,” he said, placing the keys in the ignition. He winked at her once before he started the car up, making her heart race as the engine purred to life.
He carefully maneuvered the car out of the garage, navigating the dirt road that led away from his secluded house at a snail’s pace.
“Seven…” she spoke, glancing around.
“Hmm?” he hummed, two hands tight on the wheel. She stared at him incredulously.
“Are you...gonna go?” she asked, meeting his wide-blown eyes when he looked at her.
“If I scratch even an atom of paint off this car, I will personally send myself to hell,” he spoke intensely, an uncontrollable giggle bubbling up from her throat. He looked glanced between her and the road a few times before letting his own laugh out.
“I’m serious!” he told her, making her shake her head.
“There’s nothing even around here!” she disputed, watching him lean back a little.
“That’s how I like it,” he said, making her roll her eyes. She took a second to put on her seatbelt, watching him out of the corner of her eye. She’d heard someone mention before that his muscles were very visible when he drove, but she had no idea that it would be so distracting.
Seven caught her looking, a smirk slipping onto his lips before she spoke up out of embarrassment.
“Can’t this car do like zero to sixty in 3 seconds or something?” she said quickly, glancing away to hide the heat growing in her face. Luckily, since the top was down, there was a cool breeze blowing lightly across her cheeks to cool her off.
“Maybe,” he said, dragging the last vowel out. She shot a look towards him, propping her elbow up on the car door.
“For all the bragging you do, I’m not seeing a whole lot of magic happening,” she teased, hearing him blow a raspberry at her. She turned back to him, seeing him glaring at the road ahead.
“Patience, patience,” he sang out. She watched him, thinking for a second that she was annoying him after a long day of work. But when he met her gaze, the warm smile and glow in his eyes proved her wrong.
After a few more minutes of careful driving, they made it out onto a paved road, and her heart pumped excitedly. She sat up a little, her smile uncontrollable. If the car already sounded amazing when they were going so slow, she couldn’t wait for what it sounded like at higher speeds.
“There’s a long stretch of freeway nearby if you can wait that long,” he chuckled, his posture relaxing slightly. “You’re so cute,” he nearly whispered, but she caught it. Her already-pounding heart leapt into her throat, her eyes glued to him as the wind tousled his hair.
“What?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t misheard him. He paled, keeping his eyes on the road.
“N-nothing,” he said, making the knot in her stomach tighten. It was adorably typical that he denied little comments he made under his breath like that. She wondered if he actually meant them.
She leaned back in her seat, biting her lip to suppress her growing smile.
Soon enough, they pulled onto the ramp that led to the freeway, her eyes moving to him excitedly.
“Got your seatbelt on?” he asked, absentmindedly testing his own seatbelt.
“Of course,” she chuckled, glancing around to see that there were almost no cars on the road with them. “Why--” She couldn’t finish her question, the wind being knocked from her as he slammed on the accelerator. The car was pushed forward with a speed she’d never felt before, her stomach flipping. A loud squeal rang out as the tires spun against the pavement, and then the loud roar of the engine followed. The once gentle breeze became a fierce, cold wind that brought tears to her eyes and pinched at her cheeks.
She couldn’t help the elated scream that came from her throat, hearing his delighted laughter when her voice gave out. Her eyes bugged when she moved them to look at their current speed, her laughter getting lost among his and the wind as the road blurred in front of her.
Seven put on the brakes after another few moments, getting them down to a comfortable (and legal) speed. She was still laughing when pulled over, her breaths shallow and shaky.
“How was that?” he asked. She was able to hear the grin in his voice before she looked over at him. When she turned to see, the setting sunlight hit him in just the right way, making her stomach flip all over again. He was smiling so warmly, looking so carefree and happy, and that was all she could ever want for him.
Leaning over, she cupped his face with one hand, pressing a breathless kiss to his cheek. When she pulled back, he was bright red, his eyes locked on her and as wide as ever. She could only smile at him, her own cheeks flushing pink. But she didn’t care.
She flopped back in her seat, breathing out and feeling lightheaded. But she turned her smile to him once more, meeting his gaze boldly.
“Again?”