Page 3 of Spark

Her finger was itching to ask more questions to learn more about this car-obsessed hunk of a man, but she was worried she would push him too far or he would return her questions with some of his own. So far, he seemed to be a good sport, chatting happily and honestly. She watched his chat icon, the three blinking dots indicating he was typing.

Aurelio:I've had a lot of cars. I love everything about them. But a car is not a partner. I'm not faithful to it.

Mia smiled. He had a way with words. His smooth answers seemed almost too perfect. Little red flags flew in her mind, but she pushed them down because she could almost hear the sincerity and thoughtfulness in his answer. The mood felt heavy.

Mia:So, wrecked a few engines then?

She smiled at her little witty joke, hoping to lighten the conversation.

Aurelio: ????

“Well, shit.” Her face fell, and she slapped a hand to her forehead before quickly typing back.

Mia:Because an engine is the heart of a car. Omg, that was stupid. Sorry, bad joke.

Aurelio:No, it's funny! I was a little distracted.

Mia's brows furrowed as questions she didn't know if she wanted him to answer formed in her mind. Without thinking too hard about it, she transferred them to her fingertips, only hesitating a moment before hitting send.

Mia:You're not driving and texting me! Are you?

Aurelio:No. Not driving.

The answer she did not want only grew more probable in her mind. She had to ask.

Mia:Are you racing? Right now?

Aurelio:Don't worry! I'll only go as fast as you want me to!??

That somehow seemed worse, but she hoped he was kidding. A small chuckle rose in her chest as her worry dissipated. She placed a hand over her racing pulse. She didn't know what this man was doing to her, but she knew she didn't want him to stop. There was a shuffling of feet outside the door, and with a roll of her eyes, Mia rose from the couch. She slid open the door quickly, and her pictures blew about in the resulting wind, threatening to fall like they always did.

“Hi Janet, good morning,” Mia said, a tight smile on her full lips.

“Oh, good morning, dear, here's a coffee for you!” Janet's faded pink curlers clinked against each other on top of her grey hair.

Mia accepted the peace offering as she always did. "Thanks, Janet."

“Enjoy your day, dear,” Janet said, slipping inside her loft.

As Mia slid the door closed, a photo came loose, fluttering to the ground. She picked it up and held it before pinning it back in place. “Hmm.” Eager to continue her conversation with Aurelio, Mia returned to the couch and reread the last text with a sly grin on her face.

Mia:Glad to hear that. I do enjoy speed sometimes.

Aurelio:Maybe I will speed up then. Go a little crazy.

Mia fanned herself, nerves getting the best of her. She was putting a on a brave face; her overconfident self was more than happy to show from behind this screen. Inside, she could feel the ledge they were close to; the leap to becoming more was not as far away as it should have been. She could feel a pull to watch for his messages. There was a spark in her heart that wanted to keep chatting with him. Before she had a chance to get lost in the thought, another message came through.

Aurelio:Okay. Time to show you… my baby!

Confused, Mia smiled with relief when a picture came through. There he was, all tattoos and muscles, dressed in a white tank exposed by an orange mechanic jumper rolled down to his waist. He was very attractive, lying back on the hood of a vintage yellow Shelby Mustang. It was beautiful and obviously well cared for. Mia stood up and moved towards the door, her face clouded with disbelief as she stared back and forth between the phone and the photo that had fallen from her wall, now tacked back up with a picture of one of her brothers.

Mia:You're not going to believe me. But I have a picture of that same car on my door.

Aurelio:No way! That's crazy! We should meet! See Baby in person!

A phone alarm went off, it was already half past seven. Mia sighed, she didn't have anywhere to be, but she needed to get some errands done, or they wouldn't get done until Tuesday. Choosing to stay distracted by Aurelio, she turned her attention back to their chat.

Mia:That would be amazing. But, again, I have to ask, you don't just take pictures of yourself in front of strangers' cars?

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