Page 48 of Paradigm

Arlowe walked around, got into the car as well, turned it on after she put on her seat belt, and, having noticed that Eline hadn’t moved because her brain was a little slow, she moved over her, reached for Eline’s seat belt, and clicked it into place for her.

“Are you okay?” Arlowe asked.

“I just realized that I’ve never seen you drive before,” she replied.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess not. I have a clean safety record, if that’s what you’re worried about. There have been zero accidents since I got my license at sixteen and only two parking tickets, but those weren’t my fault.”

“No?” Eline asked, smiling over at her.

“I missed the meter by, like, a minute both times. I mean, come on… What are the odds that someone would be right there waiting for someone like me just to put a ticket on my windshield?”

“Probably pretty high, given that that’s their job.”

“Let’s get you home.” Arlowe laughed. “You’re making too much sense right now. Can’t have that.”

Eline laughed as well, and Arlowe pulled them out into traffic. They didn’t say anything to each other for a minute, and it was only once they were sitting at the traffic light that she realized Arlowe would need directions to her apartment, so she leaned forward and typed her address into the in-car GPS, earning a smile from Arlowe.

“Sorry, I kind of forgot that you don’t know where I live now.”

“So did I,” Arlowe said.

They went silent once more, and Eline stared out the side window, trying to think about what her father had said. He had told her to go for it but had also warned her about it not having worked the last time. She had been the one to tell him that the only reason it hadn’t was because of their circumstances that no longer applied today. She glanced over at Arlowe after noticing that they were only a few minutes from her apartment building and decided to go for it.

“I missed you,” she confessed softly.

Arlowe looked over at her, but only for a moment before she had to return her attention to the road.

“I missed you, too.”

“I don’t want what happened before to happen to us again.”

“Which part?” Arlowe asked and turned right into her apartment complex.

“The part where we don’t talk for years because neither of us knew how.”

“Is that what you think happened?” Arlowe asked.

“I think we loved each other very much then, and the idea of trying to be friends and not be together was too much, so we pushed each other away.”

“Yeah, that sounds about right.”

“I don’t know what to do here, Arlowe. All I do know is that I don’t want to stop talking to you this time.”

“Then, don’t,” Arlowe replied.

“It’s a left here.” Eline pointed to the left turn ahead. “Second building on the right.”

“So, you won’t stop talking to me, and I won’t stop talking to you. Is that where we are right now?” Arlowe checked, taking her directions.

“Can we start there, at least?” she asked.

Arlowe pulled over when she got to Eline’s building and put the car in park.

“Call me tomorrow? When you get done with work or something.”

Eline smiled and said, “Can you text me when you get home tonight, though?”

“Yes,” Arlowe said, smiling back.