She squeals, clapping her hands. “Let’s play a questions game.”
I sigh, nodding my head in approval.
“Okay, how old are you?”
I huff out a laugh. “Thirty-three, you?”
She giggles. “Twenty-seven, can’t you see how radiant I am?”
I smirk. If only she knew her radiance is the only thing I look forward to.
She taps her chin dramatically. “Okay, favorite color.”
I glance at her, a hint of a smile tugging at my mouth. “Green.”
She hums, analyzing my answer. “Forest green or, like… muted cactus green?”
I let out a soft laugh under my breath. “Didn’t realize there were different kinds.”
“There are always different kinds,” she says, pointing a finger at me. “Mine’s yellow. Like the sun. Or sunflowers. Or traffic lights when you’re already halfway through the intersection.”
“Dangerous,” I murmur.
“Fun,” she counters, grinning.
Her laugh spills into the cab again, and I find myself wanting her to keep going; to fill the quiet, to keep laughing so I can hear that sweet noise again.
“Favorite flower,” she says next, tucking her legs under her.
“Roses,” I answer without thinking.
She blinks, surprised. “That’s… unexpectedly sweet.”
“My mama’s favorite,” I say with a shrug, as my hands tighten on the wheel. “It just stuck with me.”
“Still sweet,” she says, tucking her hair behind her ear, quickly saying her answer. “Mine’s sunflowers. They always face the light, even when it rains.”
“That fits you.”
Her cheeks flush, and she looks away, tracing her finger along the fogged window. “So honest of you, Reed.”
I grunt in response, not knowing what to say to her. She makes me nervous, and communicating hasn’t always been my strong suit, but being near her makes me want to try.
Her blue eyes glance at me again, softer this time.
She’s the only woman who can look at me with that curiosity in her eyes, and somehow it creates a look that makes my pulse race.
The moon slips out from behind a cloud, light pouring through the windshield just enough to highlight her face.
Her eyes aren’t just blue, they’re tinged with flecks of amber and honey, colors I’ve never seen on anyone else.
For a second, I forget about the road, about the rain, about everything but her.
Pay attention to the road, Reed, fuck.
She quickly looks away, and I drag my gaze back to the highway, clenching my jaw tightly, pretending I didn’t just lose my breath over the simple fact of her eye color.
She clears her throat. “Okay, favorite movie.”
