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Gwen watched Kevin intently as he bobbed his head back and forth to the rock music blaring loudly from the speakers of his car. He kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other firmly on the gear stick. The music wasn't really her style, but she was glad he was in a good mood. It was going to help with the conversation she was about to initiate.
"So, you know, my birthday's coming up soon," she told him. Her voice was barely audible over the music. Drat, this was awkward. She just had to take the indirect route.
He kept his eyes on the long stretch of asphalt ahead. "I do know. I'd be a terrible boyfriend if I didn't. Anyway, why do you ask? Want me to get ya somethin'?"
"Well, I've been hoping for a— I mean, it would be nice if— " she mumbled, unable to find the right words.
Kevin turned down the volume of the music, facing her. "What was that?"
Mesmerized by his black orbs, she lost her train of thought. So far, this wasn't going the way she had planned. "Ah, I... uh— " She rubbed the back of her neck, attempting to stave off the intense awkwardness of her own making. "You see..." she cleared her throat. She cursed herself under her breath, opting to just spit it out.
"I WANT A CAR!"
Kevin's forehead crinkled, unsure of how not to disappoint her. "You sure?"
She nodded excitedly, nearly bouncing on her seat. "Pleeeease?" She batted her eyelids, trying her best to melt his heart so he couldn't possibly refuse her request.
As fate would have it, he looked away to focus on the road in front of him, making her efforts pointless. "Wasn't your dad supposed to get you one after high school graduation?" he lifted his brow.
"Yeah, but since I went to college early, he took it upon himself to abuse the loophole," she huffed.
Kevin chuckled. "One of the cons of having a lawyer for a dad." Several moments of silence followed before he spoke up again. "You really want that car, huh?"
She raised her arms in the air in slight exasperation. "You got Ben a car and he didn't even ask!"
"He needed one. All he had was a crummy bike," he pointed out.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "He had the Omnitrix."
He paused, internally admitting that she'd made a good point. "Okay, w—well, by that logic, you don't need a car either. You can teleport."
Gwen folded her arms, annoyed. "How is that a fair comparison? You know teleporting makes me sick."
He sighed, bringing his hand up from the gear stick to massage his temples. "Yeah, you're right, but... I ain't made of money."
"Two words: Taydenite car," she stated flatly. Kevin's body tensed. He was fresh out of excuses to give.
"Come on, babe!" She hugged his arm. "If you get me a car, I won't have to rely on you to give me rides anymore! Wouldn't that be a good thing for both of us?"
His lack of a response clued her into his apprehensiveness, her eyes widening in realization. "You... want me to rely on you?" She unwrapped her hands from his arm.
He gave her a subtle nod. "Not the exact phrase I'd use, but yeah. If you got a car, I wouldn't get to see you as much. You could go wherever, do whatever, without me." He shrugged. "I'd miss you."
"Kevin, you're acting like I want a car so I can get away from you." She placed a hand on his thigh, carressing it. "You're looking at this the wrong way."
"Am I? We hardly get to see each other on some days, except for like an hour or two when you need me to drive you around town to run errands or get food before classes. Havin' a car would make things much easier for ya, I get it... but it'd also mean you wouldn't need to go on those car rides with me."
"I swear..." Suppressing a smile, Gwen planted a kiss on his cheek. "Have you ever thought about the possibility that I could take you on rides?"
His pupils dilated as if he'd just had an epiphany. "Oh. That's— Yeah... you got a point. Man, I'm dumb."
She affectionately squeezed his hand. "See, when you get me a car, we can take turns driving each other around town depending on what day it is!"
"You mean if I get you a car." Kevin smirked, but Gwen simply stared at him, deadpan.
Dropping his smug smile, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. I'll think about it."