When the sea brings you home

F1 driver

We were barely ten minutes into the car ride.

And Jake wasn't impressed by my driving skills, apparently.

He was gripping his seatbelt dramatically and whining.

"Oh shut up!" I screamed when he said for the third time that he didn't want to die in my car.

He chuckles at me.

- Hey, Tris. Remember when we were kids and I had a dream of driving in the Formula 1?

I look at him briefly from the corners of my eyes, and just hum in response.

- Yeah, well 8 year-old Jake could drive better than you.

He busted out laughing, and at the sound of it, all the irritation he caused me vaporized. I smiled, shaking my head.

 - You're unsufferable, Jake.

The guy just shrugged with a malicious smile.

I grabbed my phone with my free hand, but Jake immediately took it from my hands.

"No phone while driving, Beatrice."

When I heard him call me by my name, I looked at him in surprise.
I was shocked to find no trace of playfulness behind his stare, it was more full of seriousness and worry. 

- Geez, Jake. I was just gonna tell you to put my playlist.

He sighs.

- I'm sorry. It's just- I don't want anything to happen to you, alright? I know you're coming back tomorrow night and I've just been worried about it. You'd be crossing many states in the dark, you're gonna be alone, and... I don't know. I had with Tina the same conversation, by the way. I just have a bad feeling about this.

I nod in understanding.

- Don't worry, I say softly. I'll drive safe. And I'll make sure Tina will too.

A small smile draws on his mouth, and the ambiance comes back to comfortable and relaxing.

"So... You gonna put that playlist or what?"

Jake chuckles and takes my phone as I hand it to him.

"Passcode?"

"47623"

- Does that mean anything to you? he asks out of curiosity.

- No, not really. I'm just used to its pattern.

- Oh. Alright.

We spent the rest of the drive channeling between silences, jamming to music, arguing about songs and artists.

Jake would try to pick songs himself, I'd try to resist but eventually give in. But there, just to spite him, I would act like the music playing is trash, just to watch him try to convince me it was great. Well, in reality, they were amazing!

 But hey, no need to give him that satisfaction.