Enjoy The Ride [R] [Reserved]

[Wolfy]

credit


Melanie


Rain pounded on the roof of Melanie's car as she drove. The windshield wipers were almost at the highest setting possible, clearing away the water only to have it be replaced just as fast. This type of weather wasn't uncommon for Oregon, or a lot of areas in late spring, but Melanie wasn't used to it, having lived in Los Angeles for most of her adult life, and she hardly ever drove, and she could count the number of times she had driven in the rain on one hand. Luckily, the rural highway was practically empty, as Melanie wasn't eager to anger the other drivers with her inexperience of controlling a car in this type of weather. Music was blasting from the speakers of her Ford Mustang, not loud enough to drown out the steady beat of the rain, but loud enough to keep her relatively calm. Or at least calm to the point where she didn't dig her nails into the expensive leather interior of her car. She leaned forward, brown eyes peeking up at the dark grey sky, wondering when it would clear up. It's Oregon. Probably not as long as I'm here. Melanie thought grumpily, readjusting to a more comfortable position in her seat. At this rate, she'd be getting to her destination of Salem in four hours instead of the planned two. 


Despite the rain, things were running smoothly. Or they were until her car started to sputter. Her eyes flew to the fuel gauge, widening in panic when she saw the needle was resting on empty. How hadn't she noticed this? Cursing, she hurriedly pulled the Mustang over, blinking to make sure she wasn't just imagining things. The car continued its sputtering for several more minutes before going silent, leaving Melanie with nothing but the rain to listen to. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Melanie cried, slamming her fist onto the steering wheel, and reeling back into her seat when the horn blared in response. Desperately, she turned the key, hoping that the vehicle had enough to get her to the next gas station, but it only sparked to life for a few moments before dying again. Not that it would have done her any good if it had started; she'd have to walk the 20 miles to the gas station she had passed. Biting the inside of her cheek roughly, Melanie attempted to straighten her thoughts in order to form some sort of plan. Her face brightened with realization, and her hands flew to the canvas satchel in the passenger seat, scooping out the various phones she kept in there. One at a time she held them up, searching for some sort of signal. Nothing. Even the Iphone that seemed to get signal everywhere proved useless. She settled back in her seat, blinking back tears of frustration. 


Waiting wouldn't do her any good. The chances of a car pulling over to help were about as high as her finding a dolphin; the likelihood of a car even coming along was even less. She'd have to walk. As much as Melanie despised the idea, she knew that she'd draw more attention walking in the middle of a storm than sitting on the side of the road in a car. Groaning, she shoved her phones back into the satchel, praying the bag was water resistant enough to protect her precious electronics. Shrugging on her hoodie, Melanie reluctantly exited the Mustang, locking it and double checking just to be sure. The vehicle was her baby, and to have it stolen would be almost heart breaking. It also cost quite a bit, and though not all of the money had been acquired legally, Melanie treasured the car as if she had earned every cent herself. She threw her hood up over her head, and cradled the satchel to her chest like a baby, hoping to protect it from the worst of the rain. It beat down brutally, large, cold drops of water that soaked her almost instantly. Within five minutes of walking she was shivering, and the idea of waiting for help seemed much smarter.


[So, intermediate post I guess? I'm hoping to keep replies no shorter than the last paragraph  Anyway, feel free to reply <3 ]

[Guest]

[[I can't decide on what he should look like yet, haha.]

Noah

Noah gave a prolonged, serene sigh. The rain splashed down heavily onto his windshield, its scent enjoyable enough to practically get high on, the windshield wipers flying quickly back and forth to send it flying off and into the mass collection of puddles taking even larger shapes by the second. Rain, neck to neck with fortune cookies, was damn near Heaven for Noah, and every time it had rained, he couldn't help but give himself a mental pat on the back for choosing to move to Oregon a few years ago. Though it happened more often than most places, he never grew tired of it.

Fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel, he rocked his head to the lazy rhythm of his music, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Seeing as he was alone on the road, his gaze flickered up towards the dark mass of clouds that poured raindrops before his eyes began to fall back onto the path ahead of him until landing on a splotch of aqua blue. He shook his head, eyes closed, then peeled them back open before it dawned upon him the blotch of blue was not a figment of his imagination, brought on by blurred vision, courtesy of the merciless weather. His brows furrowed a moment as he eyed the woman walking alongside the road with curiosity, mind reeling through possibilities why she'd be so, alone, and in the rain nonetheless. Thinking back on it, he could vaguely recall seeing a car stranded on the side of the road not too far from here.

A brief squeal screeched from his tires in protest of his hasty stop, and he rolled down his passenger door window. The idea of picking up hitchhikers was a dumb one to most, but Noah had always seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for those needing his help. Not the brightest notion, he knew, but he could hardly believe people would be vicious enough to kick him from his car, flip the bird, and speed off. Plus, the woman didn't look like a fabled ax-wielding murderer at all, shivering and all. Clearing his throat, he called, "Hey, wet head, need a ride?"

[Wolfy]

Melanie


Melanie clutched her satchel a bit tighter, her teeth chattering together noisily as shivers racked their way through her body. She was moving quickly, not wanting to be stranded out in the rain any longer than necessary. Her eyes were glued to the ground, her thoughts slightly distant to try and keep her mind off the unpleasant wetness that seeped through her clothes. Grinding her teeth, Melanie sped up a bit, weaving between the various puddles in a small attempt to keep her Converse from being totally ruined. The distant sound of a car engine sparked hope in her chest, and her head flew up, dark eyes searching frantically for the source of the noise. Elation shot through her as the car squealed to a stop, the relief overwhelming most her doubtful thoughts about accepting rides from strangers. 

She blinked the rain out of her eyes, and crossed over to the vehicle, another flood of relief washing over her as she saw the driver. He didn't look like he would do her any sort of harm. "Er, yeah. My car ran out of gas, and I think there's a gas station not too far this way.." Melanie gestured to the direction in which he had been headed, her natural sense of shyness taking over. "If it's not too much trouble.." She glanced up at the sky, squinting before quickly redirecting her gaze to him. Biting her lip, she readjusted her hold on the satchel, hoping her electronics hadn't been touched by the water yet. 

(SSS, unexpected troubles >.<)

[Guest]

Noah

As the shivering woman approached, he lowered the volume of his stereo a few notches before she spoke, leaning over the center of his vehicle to catch her words over the heavy drumming of rain, of which seemed to fall from the sky with infinite supply. Luckily enough, he could hear what she was saying and nodded, smiling softly before leaning back into his seat and unlocking the car doors with a click. "No, no, no, it's not too much trouble. Hop in." Motioning to the empty passenger seat, he took care to raise his voice a tad so it overpowered the sound of the rain, a welcoming smile still tugging at the corners of his lips.

Looking at her now, he couldn't help but notice how pretty she was. He could feel a blush creep onto his face, and he quickly tore his gaze away, clearing his throat and shaking his head. Dear Lord, Noah. He willed his eyes to meet back with hers before flashing an apologetic smile, fingers crossed his face had un-reddened back to normal, or at the very least a barely noticeable tint of pink.

[Sorry this took so long! And sorry this post is a bit short. brainfarts galore.]

[Wolfy]

Melanie breathed a heavy sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping forward slightly. One less thing to worry about. "Thank you, really." Her shaking hand grasped the door handle, pulling it open and climbed inside the car as nimbly as her shivering and wet clothing would allow. Immediately, she had flipped open her satchel and was carefully checking the various electronics that it contained. "Thank God.." Melanie muttered under her breath, closing the satchel after assuring herself that the water hadn't damaged anything. She slipped the bag between her feet, and her hands went to remove the hood that covered her head. "I'm Melanie, by the way." She informed him, raking a hand through her now dark turquoise hair, wincing whenever she encountered a knot. Shifting slightly in her seat, her eyes flew over to him, already anxious to get back to her car. Melanie took quite a bit of pride in the black Mustang, and heavily leaving it unattended for any longer than necessary. 

She parted her lips to speak, only to decide against her choice of words and shut her mouth. Heat crept into her face, and she stared down at her lap, mind racing in attempt to try and come up with something that wouldn't make her sound like an idiot. Melanie brought her hand up to her mouth, tracing along the edge of her lower lip nervously, brushing against her piercing occasionally. Fuck... think Melanie, think! She cursed herself, and though she lacked a mirror, Melanie was sure her cheeks were visibly red. 

[Out of curiosity, what does he look like :3 )

[Guest]

(I really can't decide. He's definitely going to have tattoos, though.)
Noah

Rolling up the passenger door window, Noah gave a small nod. "Not a problem." He gently pushed against the gas pedal with his foot, and the car purred and pulled forward in reply, a prolonged, silent huff of air escaping his nearly closed lips. His index finger began to tap against the steering wheel under its own will, of which he came to realize was the beat the quiet music had been playing to, and ceased. "Oh, um.. you can change the station if you want," he told the woman with a sidelong glance before his eyes returned to the road. Though he was already warm, he had imagined the woman was still freezing, and his hand quickly went to increase the temperature and flow of the air conditioner, the heated air now much warmer and abundant. At her name, he turned his head to look at her for a moment with a smile before it whipped back to the road. "Noah. Nice to meet you." His eyes scanned the scenery ahead of him(or what of it he could see), estimating they'd get to the gas station within a few minutes.

As Melanie opened her mouth, he gave a glance over to her only to find her red-faced and flustered, summoning a toothy grin onto his face before he redirected his gaze to the front of him. "So," he began, pausing for a moment to gather his words, then continued, "Are you new in town?"

[Wolfy]

Her eyes turned to the radio, "Nah, it's fine," She informed him, shaking her head after considering it carefully for several seconds. Unconsciously, Melanie started plucking the hair band on her wrist, gently enough that it was inaudible, but it was enough to keep her focused. She momentarily tensed when he reached over, watching him out of the corner of her eye, and relaxing quickly after she realized what he was doing. Melanie welcomed the warm air, and sunk down a little in her seat as the cold started to disperse from her body a little more rapidly. "Thanks.." She said quietly, desperately wishing she was better at small talk. Thankfully, he took care of that, and Melanie eagerly jumped on the topic. "I'm here on business, for a client," She replied, looking over at him as she spoke, "I actually live in LA, but I'll probably be here for a couple months," She added. Her hand moved up to her necklace, absent mindedly playing with it as she tried not to laugh. 'Business' and 'Client' were the least accurate words she could have used, but it was the easiest to explain, so she went with it. 

As the last of the shivers faded away, Melanie leaned her head back against the headrest, silently clicking her teeth together; one of her nervous habits, and probably the one she disliked the most. "I'm guessing you live here, then?"

[Woot.]

[Guest]

Noah

Noah's lips stayed curled into an intentional small smile as he looked off ahead, listening to Melanie as she spoke. At hearing her response, his grin widened a tad, and he gave her a sidelong glance. "LA, huh?" he began, "How're you liking the change of weather?" He nearly asked about what kind of business she'd been sent on, but decided it'd be best not to try to pry into a girl's life of whom he'd just met under not-so-lovely circumstances. Noah's attention fixed back onto the road, and he caught a fleeing glance of a sign that read: "Gas station: 1 mile ahead." Upon her question, he nodded. "Born and raised," he replied, finding a slight proud tinge to his tone as he gave her an even bigger smile.

Not long after that, he'd found themselves parked near a gas tank at the local gas station, which was pretty empty compared as opposed to what it normally was. He preferred it this way, honestly. Looking over to the woman, he'd wondered how she was going to get the gas to her car with nothing to carry it in. If that's what she was looking to do, at least. "Do you have something to take the gas back to your car with, or...?"

[Wolfy]

[Btw here's her car]

Melanie laughed quietly as his question, subtly shaking her head and glancing doubtfully out the window. "Well, it's definitely not my favorite. A little bit too.. cold for my liking." She responded, fiddling with the sleeve of her coat as she spoke. Now almost fully relaxed, Melanie was able to take in her surroundings, noting the time and going through her mental checklist. "You must be used to it then.." She stated quietly, focusing on the gas station as it came into view. It was rather empty looking, and for a brief moment couldn't help but compare the situation to that of the beginning of a horror movie. Melanie tensed as he spoke, realization crashing down onto her. "Fuck.." She cursed under her breath, sending him a panicked glance and hesitantly shook her head. "I.. no, I didn't even think about it.. I don't even carry one of those in my car.." Her breath hitched as a fresh wave of anxiety hit, but she managed to quickly push it down, breathing deeply and shutting her eyes for a moment. "Do they have those here? Or am I going to have to call a tow truck?" Her hands flew to the bag between her feet, flipping it open and pulling out one of the several smart phones she had. Two bars of service. Sighing in relief, she lowered the device into her lap, and closed the bag. 

"I'm gonna be so late.." She muttered to herself, leaning on her door slightly and peering up at the sky, wondering if the rain was going to let up any time soon. "I'm sure he'll understand, though, right? I mean, why wouldn't he?" Melanie asked herself, and pausing when she realized she had been broadcasting her train of thought. Smiling sheepishly, she shut her mouth, blushing furiously.

[Guest]

[Geez, kudos on the car. and here's Noah, and his tattoos. I miiiight still change his tattoos.]

Noah

Taking a glance over to her bag as she fiddled with it, he saw a glimpse of multiple other phones and she pulled hers out, a brow raising slightly with curiosity, but soon shrugging and suppressing his interest the best he could. Noah tugged absently at his bottom lip as he delved into a light concentration, eyes squinting and cast downward beneath furrowed brows. "I don't remember," he murmured quietly. His eyes suddenly cut back to Melanie and his hand fell back to his side as his face lost its intense demeanor, softening with a warm smile. "But it doesn't hurt to check." Giving her a quick motion to follow before stuffing both hands into his pockets, he strode onward and into the small store. He threw a glance over his shoulder at hearing her speak, but decided not to make too big a deal of it, given her face had gotten so red it looked as if she'd been dipped in paint. A bell rang their arrival as he opened the door long enough for Melanie to walk in through, and followed suit shortly after.

Without giving it a thought, Noah began to make his way over to where he assumed they must've been. I've been here at least 50 times, and I still don't know if they have gallon containers for gas or not? Frustrated with himself, he ran a hand aimlessly over his face, giving out a silent sigh as his eyes searched quickly down the isle. A certain sense of triumph bloomed in his chest at finally seeing that red plastic they were oh-so known for, and he hastily rushed over to retrieve one. Sending Melanie a bright smile, he held the container up for her to see before making his way towards the register. He swiftly paid for the item before giving her a chance to protest, tossed her a mischievous grin, and strode his way back to the station to begin filling it.

[Wolfy]

Another bolt of anxiety shot through Melanie when Noah admitted that he couldn't remember. Biting her lip, Melanie hurriedly followed him into the store, eyes darting back and forth in a quick examination. Ignoring the strange look from the cashier, she trailed after Noah, praying that the containers would be here. Relief flooded through her when he held up the plastic container, her face lighting up with a bright smile. She reached for her wallet, but by the time she had removed her credit card and was striding towards the register, Noah had already paid. Blinking in momentary shock, she returned her wallet to its place. Shaking her head, Melanie exited the building, speeding up her pace to a half jog to catch up with the man. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks." She offered, sending him another grin. 


"At least let me pay for the gas?" Melanie asked, raising one of her eyebrows expectantly. She couldn't prevent her thoughts from drifting to how her client would react, and unconsciously started chewing on her lip again. One thought led to another, and she found herself worrying about her car again as well, desperately hoping it had been left alone in the short time she had been forced to leave it unattended. 


[I apologize for how short this is...]

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