Passenger Seat

The road ahead was clear, so I snuck a look at my passenger seat. My seatmate today was a sleeping beauty. Her eyes were closed, her lips were parted, and her breaths were steady and gentle. It took everything in me not to kiss her. I smiled and looked back at the road.

We were coming home from a weekend trip at Baguio, the summer capital. It was a nice weekend with our officemates, and we spent the night telling stories and singing badly at the karaoke. We were now heading back to the city, and I was the designated driver for those heading back to Manila.

I adjusted my rear-view mirror, and saw that the others at the back had also fallen asleep. I stole a look at her again, and wondered if I should chance it, wondered if I could pretend that we were the only ones in this car, the only ones in the world.

Her brown hair sparkled in the sunlight as I took a turn. After a quick look at my sleeping companions, I took a deep breath and decided to risk touching those lovely locks. My right hand was trembling as it moved from the stick and edged towards the passenger seat, and I was within inches to her…

And my phone beeped. I snapped my hand back and looked toward my phone, which was attached by magnet to a vent. I read the message preview.

“I miss you, babe. See you tonight?”

I smiled softly, removed the preview of my girlfriend’s message, and took one final look at the girl beside me. With a sigh, I poured my concentration on the road before me and kept driving.

–

For C.

–

Image source: Welcome to Colorado by Karen Mathison Schmidt
First written February 16, 2018.
#137