Page 35 of Finally Loved

Alba hadn’t seemed remotely concerned about Neve’s driving. Once they’d managed to make it out of the house—quickly and with a cursory parting called in the direction of the kitchen once Alba was out of the apartment—Alba had very readily slipped into the passenger seat. She’d seemed perfectly at ease as they drove to the restaurant too. Although, she had been dropped off last night, so it wasn’t as though her own car happened to be an option.

Neve glanced over at Alba. She was concentrating on the road but bobbing along to the music emitting from the speakers. It was the first time Neve could remember someone happily listening along to her music without requesting a switch to something they preferred or simply defaulting to something they liked without asking Neve’s opinion. She’d never felt it appropriate to pass judgment on the car owner’s musical choices in their own cars so she’d never just spoken up like other people tended to.

Neve wasn’t sure she enjoyed personal revelations. Every single one she had seemed to illuminate all the ways she didn’t operate like the other people around her. How was that even possible? In a world of so, so many humans, it felt statistically impossible to feel so out of step with everyone.

The song changed and Alba knew the words, singing along as she drove.

Neve looked out of the front window again.

They’d left the restaurant knowing Alba needed to go home and shower and get some rest after so little sleep—Neve too, if she were honest—and Alba had simply asked. She hadn’t assumed Neve wouldn’t want to drive, she hadn’t implied Neve’s driving was terrible, she hadn’t done anything except ask. And, without even thinking, without realizing that the moment wasactually pretty huge, Neve had agreed. She hadn’t felt pressured, she’d appreciated the offer, and she’d agreed. As naturally as breathing.

She’d tossed the keys to Alba as if she’d been doing it for years. And, even now, as she realized she was never the default driver, there was something nice about it. Perhaps it was the knowledge that if she’d declined, Alba wouldn’t have been offended or made a big deal out of it.

Her jaw tensed as she remembered asking Roxanne if she wanted Neve to drive them home one time. It was late, Roxanne had had a long day, and Neve genuinely wanted to do something to help. Roxanne had laughed lightly, kissed Neve’s nose, and said, “No, passenger princess. I’m perfectly capable of doing the driving.”

Neve had nothing against passenger princesses, but she didn’t think she was one. She liked driving. She’d never had an accident, never gotten a ticket, never done anything that suggested she should always be a passenger.

“Do you think I’m a bad driver?” she blurted at Alba without thinking it through.

Alba turned the music down slightly, her expression confused. “No. Do you?”

“Do I think I’m a bad driver?”

“Yeah.”

Neve sighed heavily. “No.”

Alba waited, sending multiple quick glances Neve’s way as she did.

“I just realized this is the first time anyone has ever driven my car besides me.”

Alba quirked a smile. “Thank you for the honor.”

Neve rolled her head on the headrest to look directly at her. “You’re welcome, I guess. But that’s not the point.”

“What is?”

“Everyone else is always the driver. Is it something about me that makes people think I’m incapable?”

Alba’s expression dropped. “Of course not. Do you want me to pull over right now and you can take over driving? Because I absolutely will.”

Neve smiled gratefully. “No. But you asked. You didn’t just assume.”

“Who assumes they’re going to be the driver in someone else’s car?”

“Fair point.”

Neve stewed for a moment, attempting to get her thoughts in order. “If your car had been at my place, would you have driven?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I’d probably just have asked if you wanted to drive and gone with whatever you wanted. We’d have had to go back there either way—to drop you off or to pick up my car, so what difference does it make?” She grinned. “I’d probably have been hoping you’d want to drive your car because you’ve seen mine and I hadn’t seen yours.”

Neve shot her a look. “I didn’t realize you were such a petrolhead.”

She laughed. “Very British term, darling.”

Neve blushed, looking down. She wasn’t even sure where she’d heard it before, but she wasn’t sure that mattered nearly as much as how Alba’s term of endearment made her insides twist, even if she had just said it as a joke.

Alba shook her head. “I’m not. I’m just incredibly nosey.”

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