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The sound of Lily’s car alerted Pandora to her arrival, but what had her rushing out the door, rather than waiting for Lily to come in, was the music pouring forth from the car speakers.
Lily typically drove with no music or something quiet - she didn’t like being distracted, she said. Sometimes, however, when nothing was going right and she was feeling off , she would put on the loudest music she could find and play it at top volume while she drove, determined to drown out every thought and worry running through her mind.
When Pandora flung open the front door, she recognized the distinct screech of Sleep Token, the thrum of the bass rattling the car slightly and seeping into her chest. If this didn’t have her worried enough, a glance at the driver’s seat saw Lily sitting with her forehead resting on the steering wheel, hands still gripping the wheel on either side of her head. Her shoulders shook, and the movement seemed to echo throughout her body, wracked by the aftershocks of her sobs.
Pandora approached the car and tapped gently on the driver’s side window. Lily’s head jerked upright at the sound, and Pandora was met with her red, tear-streaked face. She watched as Lily’s eyes widened, and she hurriedly brushed away tears as she scrambled to turn the car off.
The music cut off mid-guitar solo. Lily rolled down the window. “...Hey.”
“What have you been up to?” Pandora asked lightly.
“Bought a cake.” Lily jerked her head to her passenger seat, and Pandora’s gaze fell on a triple layer chocolate cake from Wegmans.
“What’s the occasion?”
Lily sniffled, swiped at an errant tear that was rolling towards her chin, then let out a small, choked sob.
“Right,” Pandora said quietly. “Stay there, okay?”
She darted back into the house, and emerged just a few seconds later holding two forks. She marched to the passenger’s side of the car and jiggled at the handle until Lily unlocked it, looking confused and utterly small in her distress.
Pandora lifted the cake as she slid into the seat before dropping it back onto her lap. She handed Lily a fork. Lily took it wordlessly and watched as Pandora lifted the lid of the container and tossed it into the footwell.
“Cake first?” Pandora said breezily, turning to look at Lily, a soft smile resting at the corner of her mouth.
Lily cleared her throat, nodded, and shuffled in her seat to turn towards Pandora. She started to reach out with her fork, then stopped, retracted her hand, and leaned over the center console to press a soft kiss to Pandora’s smile.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled back.
Pandora simply nodded and angled the tray towards her. Lily pushed her hair out of her face and dove forwards with her fork.