Rainy Carpool

"Let me know if the roof leaks during the night," commented Cyrus as he and Oliver stood at the back door of Tormino's. The rest of the staff had scurried home for the night, except for Miles walking Ramona home. Those poor teenagers had been a mess around each other the entire evening. At least Miles still didn't let Ramona fall, and Ramona didn't say any more pickup lines. Just a lot of red faces.

"Aw, you do care," teased Oliver.

"I only care about what corporate needs to know," Cyrus snapped, shutting the door and locking it. He turned around. The rain was still falling, albeit not as heavy as before. Cyrus pulled his slicker collar close around his neck and raced to his car, jumping inside before he could get too wet. He started the car, eager to get home to take the dog out before it peed in his apartment. According to Miles, the dog was house trained, and it hadn't peed in his house yet. A few more minutes and Cyrus could take her outside.

He pulled out of his parking spot and headed towards the street. Realizing he forgot his lights; he turned them on as he rolled to a stop. He nearly hit a person who was crossing the sidewalk. He squinted as he looked out the window to see who was walking in the rain. It was none other than Linda. He rolled down the window and called out to her as she was about to continue on her way.

"Linda?"

She turned around, recognizing the owner of the vehicle. She scurried up to the open window.

"You have a car?"

"Yeah, do you want a lift?"

Linda nodded, going around to the passenger's side and getting inside the car.

"You saved me there."

"As an apology for almost hitting you," he explained. Then he realized what he had nearly done. There were no cars ahead and he turned his attention back to the road. "Sorry."

"No worries. It's hard to see in this rain. I should have bought a brighter raincoat."

"Your raincoat looks fine." He looked over to her navy-blue raincoat, cinched in at her waist by a belt. The V at her neckline showed her teddy bear scrubs still soaked from the rain.

"You look fine," he assured, not noticing her pink cheeks at the unintended compliment.

"Left up here," she directed and Cyrus turned into the left turn lane.

They sat in silence for a while, with Linda giving Cyrus the occasional direction.

"How was work today…?" Linda started.

"Alright, too many wet people. Clean up went longer at the end of the day. Sonata and Mori made it interesting though with Mori failing to flirt."

"Ramona flirted with Miles?"

"Leaving him frozen for a good ten minutes. It was hilarious." He smiled as Linda hand gestured to an apartment complex luckily not too far from his own. "Teenagers," he chuckled.

"Possibly, I remember leaving you frozen a few times back in high school."

"That's because we had started dating. It's different now."

"How so?"

"We're older; we don't make big deals out of simple things in relationships." He pulled up to the curb, setting the car in park.

"I suppose we don't. We've already been through the nerves of first love."

"Exactly. No reason for surprises at how old we are."

Linda shook her head from side to side, not agreeing or disagreeing. She paused as if deciding something. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She then ran out of the car as Cyrus turned a deep red.

"Thanks for the ride, Cyrus," she called to him with a giggle. She ran to her apartment and shut the door.

Cyrus froze for a few moments as the rain dripped on the roof of his car, only to see Linda had left the passenger door open. He shut it and drove off. Confused by what in the world just happened, he hoped he could make it home in time to take the dog out.