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It’s a decently warm day, sunny and clear, and the azure blue sky is dotted sparsely with clouds. A breeze blows through the car windows, playing with the feathers on your dreamcatcher hanging from the rearview mirror while you’re stuck in traffic. You had been creeping along for the better part of 20 minutes, but you’ve been at a standstill now for almost five.
Typically one to drive home in silence to decompress, today the stillness and lack of road noise makes you want to turn on some music instead. Since nothing playing on the local stations feels right, you sync your car Bluetooth with your phone and scroll through your music streaming apps. A playlist you made simply entitled “Happy” seems to fit your mood and the gorgeous weather so you press Shuffle All and settle back in your seat.
The soothing, light-hearted Put Your Records On filters through the speakers and you can’t help the smile that curves your lips as you close your eyes. Propping your arm on the window, head on your hand, you bask in the sun’s warmth. You periodically crack open an eye to check on the car in front of you but there’s no change. Everyone on the road has parked and resigned themselves to the long wait.
Your playlist contains a wide variety of genres, cherry-picked songs that unfailingly lift your mood. They’re radio hits, usually well-known songs, and easy to sing along with. You happily bop your way through your playlist, getting a little more energetic, singing along to each song.
Walking on Sunshine just finishes and the next song is cueing when you hear a sweet voice ask lowly, “Do you mind turning it up a little?” You grin and twist the volume knob so I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) plays louder before looking to the eavesdropper that’s enjoying your tunes.
Holy shit. How did you not notice the car next to you? There is no way they were there the whole time. They’re all beautiful. Two men, two women - blondie is driving, two brunettes are in the back seat, and a redhead is in the passenger seat. She was the one that spoke and she grins gratefully, leaning closer, head tilted out the window. You turn it up a little more as she starts singing along.
You grin widely and start singing with her. Her companions in the car laugh and join in good-naturedly, cheering as the two of you belt the call-and-answer part of the song.
When the song ends, you’re both breathlessly laughing, smiles wide. You turn your stereo volume down even as the next song starts to play and stretch out for a high five. She gives your hand a satisfying slap as she laughs joyfully.
“That was so fun! Thank you so much, I love that song.”
“I do too! You’re a great partner! And the back-ups were awesome!” You playfully finger-gun point at the driver and backseat passengers. They cheerfully laugh and thank you. You don’t remember the last time you smiled this hard.
“I’m glad you didn’t mind - I could barely hear it. I had Steve try to get closer but that didn’t really help much, so I just decided to ask you.” She gives you a sheepish but pleased smile and you return it.
“Oh no, I don’t mind! I haven’t had this much fun in ages!” You can’t seem to stop smiling but maybe it’s okay because she’s smiling at you, too.
“I’m Nat,” she says suddenly, and you don’t hesitate to tell her your name. She repeats it quietly, still smiling softly at you.
There’s a stretch of silence, you’re both just looking at each other and one of her friends clear their throat, causing you both to blink. You think maybe you should be embarrassed but she doesn’t appear fazed in the slightest.
“In the spirit of introductions, hello beautiful. I’m Sam.” The male brunette sitting behind Nat says smoothly after his light cough. “This is Wanda, up there is Steve.” He gestures to the woman beside him and to the driver, respectively.
Your gaze never leaves Nat. You can’t tear your eyes from her even as Sam speaks, catching the quick tightness around the edges of her mouth before it relaxes again as you smile and respond to her rather than Sam.
“It’s nice to meet you,” you say sincerely to Nat. Her answering pleased expression as she returns the sentiment warms you. A pleasant tightness fills your chest as her lips quirk at something Sam mutters under his breath. The woman next to him, Wanda, laughs quietly.
“So, you know, we’re gonna be here for a while. Let’s see what else you got to listen to.” Nat grins expectantly at you with a raised brow and you mirror her expression as you turn the knob.
You’re pretty sure you’ve found your soulmate when her eyes spark in delight and she belts along effortlessly to Sweet Caroline, arms spreading dramatically as she almost nails the driver, Steve, in his face with the back of her hand. Sam and Wanda cackle as he shoves her arm away in mock affront and she sticks her tongue out at him.
You can’t help but laugh at their antics, watching her perform, directing her friends’ involvement (“bah, bah, bahh”) before she turns to you (“so good, so good, so good!”). This is quickly becoming one of the best times you’ve ever had.
The song continues, both of you sharing the lead, absolutely ridiculous and uncaring of the scene you’re making. If anyone in the surrounding cars felt disgruntled at the impromptu concert, you’d never know it. The girl in the car next to you has your undivided attention.
You’re not sure how long it’s been, how many songs you’ve played and sang along to, but after a while, traffic slowly creeps to life. Steve taps Nat on the arm during a lull between songs and you lower the volume as she turns to him. He gestures at the line of cars ahead, the ones directly in front still unmoving but in the distance you see brake lights releasing, vehicles rolling forward.
She turns back to you, chewing the inside of her lip as she looks at you thoughtfully. She seems to make a decision and reaches her hand out to you.
“Here, let me see your phone real quick.” She makes a single gimme motion, fingers flicking closed then open as you hand the device over. Your lips spread into a wide smile at the triumphant look that crosses her face.
She beams at you before dropping her gaze to the phone, fingers moving quickly across the screen. You hear an unfamiliar notification tone and she pulls a phone from her lap, holding it up to show you.
“I text myself from your phone. Now we have each other’s numbers. I wanna be able to call you later.” She’s unabashedly smug as she hands your phone back and you wonder if your face shows just how pleased you are.
You look down at the message thread she left open for you, the unsaved number displayed at the top.
“Traffic Jam Hottie 😍”
The single line of text and emoji sent from your phone to the number makes you bite your lip and shyly cover your smile with your fingertips. You look at her with raised eyebrows and she correctly interprets your unasked question and shrugs.
“That’s your contact name. I’ll probably never change it, not even after we get married.”
It’s sly and nonchalant, how she slips that in there, smooth as you please. Your jaw drops and her friends all seem to choke on air but her gaze, locked on you, is unwavering. The flirtatious expression on her face is simultaneously sincere and mischievous as she watches for your reaction.
Butterflies erupt in your stomach, your chest feels tight and pleasantly warm. Your smile stretches so wide your cheeks hurt as she winks and you’re so giddy, you don’t care how eager you look at this moment.
You quickly save her contact information and smirk, wiggling your phone at her.
“I’d hope not. I think having matching contact info is pretty cute and kinda romantic. A fun story for the wedding toasts.” You grin cheekily.
Her expression shifts, full of mischief, a quirk of her eyebrow that makes your breath hitch and sets your heart racing as her friends whoop with glee at your banter. Her lips spread in a sly smile and you can’t help but return it. You’re positive you’ve never smiled this much in your life.
Too soon, the gridlock lets up and you both start moving with traffic. The cars in front of you begin to roll, the lane speeds varying enough to cause you to separate. She’s still grinning at you as they get further ahead. You can faintly hear their teasing and you catch a glimpse of her profile, smiling and laughing before she’s no longer visible.
They take an exit as you continue on and you barely have a moment to mourn that they’re out of view before your phone vibrates in your lap. Picking it up, you grin madly at the screen, the contact “Traffic Jam Hottie 😍” scrolling across the top.
Accepting the call, you hear it connect through your car speakers, her friends still audible in the background. Your heart stutters when she purrs her greeting.
“Hey hottie.”