Laura Thompson's POV (Present Year: 2022)

In a matter of hours, I'll be on a plane to NASA...

To start training as an astronaut...

I sigh, my gaze wandering over the outside walls of SpaceX HQ as they slowly roll past me.

I'm getting a few steps closer to space...

"Well? Where to?" The masculine voice from beside me asks, breaking me from my thoughts.

Startled slightly, my grip tightens around my now returned keys in my hands as I turn to face the man beside me in the driver's seat.

He chuckles lightly.

"Sorry if I interrupted your train of thought."

"No, no. It's fine. It's not like it was anything important!"  I nod with a genuinely happy smile before continuing. "If you could just drop me off at home, that'd be great."

Elon nods, quickly cuing up the GPS and selecting my apartment's address.

And before I know it, we're on the road.

Just the two of us.

Again.

How did I agree to this?

I shift in my seat, suddenly feeling a wave of uncomfortableness wash over me like ice water.

Geez, Laura. What were you thinking?

My gaze shifts from the road ahead to the screen in the middle acting as the dash.

Estimated arrival time... About five minutes...

I can last five more minutes like this, right?

Wrong.

The silence in the vehicle is  slowly becoming unbearable.

Neither of us speaking, our gazes wandering over the road ahead and the passing city scenery.

Oh, for the love of-

"In 200 meters, make a slight left turn." The mechanical GPS voice barks out, making the silence between the two of us even more evident than before.

Now what?

Do I say something?

Just make small talk.

"So, uh..." I begin, my voice sounding so small as it pierces the blanket of silence that had fallen around us. "Beautiful weather today, huh?"

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

I mentally facepalm, cringing at my choice of words.

"Better than the pouring rain last night." Elon laughs lightly, a light smirk falling onto his features before it's replaced by something else as he turns to face me.

"Yeah, that's true." I reply automatically, a sudden chorus of alarm bells ringing abruptly in my head as I realize that the man behind the wheel no longer has his eyes on the road.

"What are you doing?" I practically scream, though I almost immediately realize the foolishness of my panicked state as I slowly calm myself with a sheepish laugh. "It's a Tesla."

"Autopilot." He confirms, nodding as though he's deep in thought as his eyes flick back to the road.

He always seems lost in his own thoughts...

Sorta like me...

A much lighter silence settles around us as we head down one more road closer to the destination.

"You know, you can trust me, right?" Elon muses aloud out of the blue, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel rather... nervously?

I freeze up, un-sure of what to say, or how to even interpret the words I just heard.

What the?

Where is this even coming from?

"Trust is something earned and demonstrated, not spoken." I reply, my tone rather short.

"Fair enough." Comes the reply, the drumming against the steering wheel ceasing.

Hm. He must've been happy enough with that answer, then.

"In 500 meters, the destination is on your right." The monotone voice of the GPS informs as it cites off my address with rather humorous inaccuracy.

"What is with GPS systems and their horrible inaccuracy when it comes to reading addresses?" I laugh aloud, feeling the tension in the air go slack.

"I have no idea." The man beside me chuckles lightly, turning into the parking lot of my apartment. "You would think that with all of our advances in tech, we'd be able to figure it out. But, apparently, we can't."

As Elon parks the vehicle we're both sitting now rather comfortably in, my gaze scans the pathway to the entrance.

Quite a few men, younger and older, are standing outside by the main doors that lead to the only staircase upstairs, all of them holding a smoking cigarette.

"Lovely." I mutter, grimacing, already smelling the pungent smell of cigarette smoke burning my throat.

These few guys are usually out here, just smoking and joking around.

Though, they have been known to be fairly aggressive towards individuals...

And I've had my fair share of close contacts with a couple of them.

"What is it?" Musk urges from beside me, his own gaze falling on the group as he sighs.

"Let's just say these guys can get nasty if they feel like it." I explain, my wary eyes not leaving the group. "I've had a few run-ins with them before."

"They sound like quality people."

"Hundred percent." I nod as one of the men who's back had been pressed against the wall, suddenly straightens, his arm pointing in our direction, his expression rather aggressive looking.

"Um... This thing doesn't happen to have an invisibility mode, does it?" I chuckle nervously, sinking in my seat as Elon quickly grabs a pair of sunglasses from the center console, slipping them on.

"Unfortunately, no." Comes the reply as the rest of the group is now turned around, staring at the vehicle we're both sitting in.

Their expressions match the first guy's.

Aggressive.

"See! This is why I've never bought fancy cars! You stick out like a sore thumb!" I hiss, peering over the dash.

Two of them, the two well-built ones of the group from what I can see, peel off from the rest of the group and begin to head our way.

"Well, sorry! I have to represent the company, you know!" Elon hisses back, his eyes not leaving the two men approaching us. "Sit up straight."

"Excuse me?" I shoot back, defensive. "I don't take orders from you!"

"Just do it! I've got an idea."

"Fine." I grumble, sliding back into my seat, my mind beginning to race.

This could go sideways real quick...

"Do you have a hat or something? Sunglasses?" His voice pulls me from my thoughts, sounding rather urgent.

"Uh..." I hum as I undo the zipper on my small bag that had been in my lap the entire time. "I've got my reading glasses?"

"Better than nothing."

Rather hurriedly, I remove the glasses from their case before setting them on my face properly.

The pair had now split off, each rounding both sides of the vehicle.

"Now what?" I murmur as Elon begins to play with the center screen, aimlessly scrolling through addresses.

"This is as far as I've got in my head. At least they shouldn't recognize us now." He replies, continuing his scrolling. "I guess we'll just talk to them."

"If you say so." I sigh, pulling my phone from my pocket and beginning to scroll through various social media platforms aimlessly.

He did have a point.

If these guys realize who Elon actually is, they'll likely be much more aggressive.

Either that, or they'll decorate the walls of every social media platform with videos and pictures of the scene unfolding before us.

Shaking myself from my thoughts, I watch as both men slowly make their way up the sides of the vehicle, their gazes wandering over the hood and then back to the windshield.

Oh boy...

I begin to bounce my knee without even thinking about it.

My nerves are surfacing and there's nothing I can do about it!

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, the pair stop at either side of the vehicle, tapping on the windows next to us as a cue to roll them down.

Elon stops his pointless scrolling and looks out his window, nodding to the guy on the other side as the glass pane begins to slowly make it's way down.

I follow suit, nodding and shyly smiling at the man on the other side of my own window.

"How can we help you, gentlemen?" The man in the car beside me inquires, his sunglassed gaze flicking back and fourth between the two on either side.

"You could step out of the car, for starters." The man on Elon's side orders smoothly.

I watch his entire form stiffen as he nods tensely.

We're really doing this?

I begin to follow along, reaching for my own door handle.

However before I could even set my hand on the door frame, a heavy hand from above me is set on my shoulder closest to the window.

"You can stay right there, little lady."

Surprised and alarmed, I quickly twist away from the man's grip, seething.

"Don't touch me." I demand, voice steely as I stare down the man on my side.

Elon turns to face me, having heard the commotion on my side of the vehicle, and passes me a rather concerned glance.

"You're all good?" He murmurs, leaning on the center console where I had managed to position myself when I jumped away from the guy on my side.

"Yeah, fine." I breathe, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest, the blood pounding in my head.

Whether from the surge of adrenaline I got from tearing myself away from the creepo outside the car or from the feeling of being so close to the man next to me, I can't determine.

The two of us.

Back to back.

Two creepos on either side of us.

Our gazes staring down each of them, daring them to move.

As time passes, my thoughts begin to churn...

We need to get out of here before this does end up going south.

If we open these doors fast enough, maybe we can push them aside and then deck 'em.

Sure, but what about the rest of those guys from earlier?

I allow my eyes to shift from the creepo across from me to the rest of their group.

The group is... leaving?

"E." I whisper, resting my head on my fist with my thumb stuck out in the direction of the dispersing group. "Look."

I feel Elon shift slightly from behind me.

"Any suggestions?" He mutters back.

"We shove these doors open as hard as we can." I nod, my voice a hushed whisper. "And if they still are a bother, then we deck 'em. On my mark."

My gaze slowly wanders over the guy on my side.

He's becoming bored and unaware of his surroundings...

Though the guy opposite...

I quickly take a look past the man behind me.

Elon's guy is still keenly aware, watching us like hawks.

It's now or never, Lori.

"Now!" I declare, pushing myself forward and lunging for the door handle.

"What the-" The guy who had pressed his hand against my shoulder earlier exclaims as I un-latch the door, using my momentum from my burst forward to push open said door in front of me.

The guy stumbles backwards, his hand pressed against his forehead where the door had obviously left a mark when it hit him.

I leap out of my seat, planting my feet firmly on the concrete beneath me, the soles of my shoes biting against the rough surface as I close the door behind me.

The guy who had been watching me is now on the ground, struggling to find his footing.

"If you know what's good for you, I'd stay down, Pal." I order, my tone unwavering.

Almost as if he hadn't heard me, he sits up, slowly clambering to his feet.

"I said, stay down." I repeat, lightly kicking the guy in the stomach, sending him back towards the concrete with a harsh grunt of pain.

There's one. Where's two?

My now rather wild gaze quickly travels to the other side of the vehicle.

Elon's practically in an all out fist to cuffs match with the other guy.

"Gosh..." I mutter, cracking my knuckles as I leave my guy behind.

If his sunglasses come flying off, we'll be done for.

It seems that Musk also has the same idea, his one hand positioned so his sunglasses indeed do not coming flying off, the other being used to block his opponents rather skill-less blows.

"Alright," I mutter, rushing around the front of the vehicle and leaping at the guy. "That's enough, buddy!"

My first two jabs miss, however, as I regain my footing, the sound of heavy footsteps from behind me fill my ears.

This guy is seriously gonna go for some dirty maneuver? Fine.

As he approaches, I whip around to face him, my fist almost instantly colliding with his gut, sending him reeling towards the ground.

"Enough. Seriously." I seethe, wiping a bead of sweat off of my forehead, my now rather tired gaze flicking from both aggressors who are crumpled on the ground and then to Elon, who's face is priceless.

He's stunned.

I laugh slightly, the impact of that punch suddenly resonating within me as I immediately go quiet with a wince.

"Dang, that hurt." I mutter lowly, cradling my fist gently as Elon swiftly makes his way to my side.

"You're hurt." He states bluntly, gently grabbing my aching hand from me and looking it over.

"There's no blood. I'm fine." I grimace once more as he lets go.

Turning to both men on the ground, I stare them down.

"You both better scram." I start, however, the one I punched cuts me off.

"What are you gonna do? Call the Cops?" He sneers weakly.

"No." I nod, as both our aggressors exchange bewildered looks. "Not if you guys just shove off and leave us alone. As long as you do that, you're home free."

"R... Really?" The one I had kicked earlier stammers, finding his way to his feet.

Elon nods.

"Just get out of here."

"A... Alright..." He continues to stutter as he helps his friend to his feet. "S...Sorry."

I watch with tired eyes as they both high-tail it down the street, leaving both Elon and I alone in the now quiet parking lot.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" He muses aloud, his expression still full of shock.

I shrug, examining my fist closer.

I'll likely have a bruise...

"My Dad taught me some stuff when I was younger. I always thought it was just stupid, until now."

The conversation drifts off as we stand there, our gazes locked, each of us in our own world of thought.

"Well," Elon starts, the silence breaking once more. "That was certainly something you don't see everyday."

I chuckle lightly as I begin towards the main doors, his pace keeping in sync with my own.

"What do you mean? You don't usually have people throwing fists at you?"

"Not exactly," He laughs before continuing. "I just don't usually have a pretty attractive woman fly over the hood of my car and punch some guy in the gut."

Did he just-

My cheeks instantly begin to burn, my emotions beginning to bubble over as I dash ahead.

"What?" He hollers after me, confused. "What did I say?"

"Nothing!" I shout back at him, my face continuing it's burn as I make my way inside the small lobby, desperately trying to regain my composure.

He just called me attractive!

I am the farthest thing to attractive!

The same thoughts from earlier begin to surface once more.

Why did I even get in the car with him back at HQ?

Why did I even drop my keys in the first place?

If none of that had happened, then I wouldn't be in this mess!

Running a palm down my face, I sigh as Elon steps into the small area behind me, my face still flushed red.

"This way," I murmur, opening the door to the small staircase and beginning my climb.

"You're blushing..." The man behind me teases over the sound of our footsteps.

"Oh, shut up!" I throw back, reaching the top and throwing open the door, Elon hot on my heels.

"You are! Your face is bright red!" He continues to pester as I come to a halt outside my apartment, my now flustered demeanor struggling to unlock the door in front of us.

"Would you just be quiet already?" I laugh lightly, the heat slowly draining from my face as I nudge the door open and step inside.

Air conditioning.

Thank goodness.

With a sigh, I turn to the man beside me as the door softly shuts behind us.

"It's not much, but it's a solid roof over my head." I nod, gesturing to the literal mess of an apartment space before us.

I knew I should've cleaned.

"Yeah," I chuckle nervously, "I would've cleaned, but work is sort of my priority..."

Elon nods, his gaze wandering over the small space.

"I can certainly tell." He replies, his tone soft. "You know..."

I allow his voice to trail off as I make my way to the kitchen, pouring two glasses of ice water.

"What were you saying before?" I inquire, passing the cold glass to him on my way towards the living room.

"Hm?" Elon hums as we both settle into a seat in the quaint space.

"Before I got us water. You were saying?" I press, suddenly rather eager to hear what this man was going to say.

"Can't say I remember." He laughs lightly, shrugging.

"Oh." I reply softly, my gaze beginning to wander over the room, and then back to Elon's own captivating gaze.

We stay like that for awhile, just like we had been in the parking lot.

Each of us lost in our own little worlds...

Suddenly, my phone chirps from my pocket, startling us both.

"Geez... It's probably just a telemarketer trying to sell me something..." I mutter, examining the device's screen.

It's Vivian?

A sudden wave of panic jolts me.

"I said I'd help her pack..." I breathe, hopping to my feet and beginning to pace.

But now Elon's here with me...

Ugh!

Why is life so complicated sometimes?!

Glancing at the screen once more, I allow the device to continue it's squawking.

She'll think I'm busy.

As I slide the phone back into my pocket, a sudden realization washes over me.

Now that we're alone, maybe I can actually get some final answers... Make some more space for actual important thoughts.

Settling back into my chair, I sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"Why'd you send me that text the other day?" I quiz as Elon's expression changes from neutral to rather... embarrassed? "And how did you even manage to find my contact info?"

His brief moment of embarrassment is gone, now replaced by curiosity and amusement.

"I have access to your personal information." Elon states as if it was just common sense. "I figured sending a text would be the easiest way of communicating with you, especially now that we'll be working together outside of normal hours."

I feel my face begin to heat up once more, though I shove it down.

"That's what I also concluded... I just figured I'd ask..." I murmur, shoving aside a random nagging feeling of almost... disappointment?

It's just work related...

Good grief! Get yourself together, Lori!

With another sigh, I allow a smile to slowly creep onto my face.

"Alright." I determine, drowning my awkward emotions in sheer excitement as I make my way towards my bedroom, leaving Elon behind in the living room.

"What?" He asks aloud, confusion evident on his features.

"Time to pack!"

****

Time just seems to blur by.

"Make yourself at home, E!" I had told my guest before my packing escapade had evolved into yet another mess. "Feel free to watch some TV or something!"

Instead, Elon refused, and is now sitting across from me on the floor of my bedroom, both of us acting like complete morons.

Needless to say, packing is coming along a lot slower than I had originally planned.

"I mean, who knows what else is out there!" I laugh, grabbing a rather oversized NASA t-shirt from the pile I had made on the floor earlier and shoving it into my backpack that I'm using as my luggage.

"Oh yeah, because green aliens with massive eyes and UFOs totally exist." Elon smiles, shaking his head at me, passing me the bag I had packed earlier with my toiletries and other stuff.

"Oh, come on! Don't crush my dreams!"

"You've seen too many movies."

"Fine," I huff, cramming the small bag into my backpack before beginning to fight with the zipper. "You win."

The man across from me smirks smugly, crossing his arms.

"Thank you for admitting your defeat." He declares as I playfully throw a loose t-shirt from beside me towards him.

It misses it's mark completely.

We both erupt into what seems to be the hundredth laughing fit since this all started.

"That was nowhere close!" I wheeze, struggling to catch my breath.

Elon just nods as he laughs, tears shining in his eyes.

It suddenly dawns on me just how vastly different we both are.

He probably never has time like this just to act stupid and forget about everybody else in the world...

The poor guy is always being chased by cameras and people...

I sigh, my happy and carefree mood evaporating.

"Let's send these to Vivian..." I mutter, pulling out my phone and quickly sending off the various pictures I had taken of my packing process.

Almost instantaneously, I get a reply.

'Thanks, Lori! See you later tonight!'

With another sigh, I set my phone down beside me, my eyes wandering over to Elon's now distracted form.

"Another email?" I muse aloud as he continues to type away on the small screen furiously.

"You guessed it." Comes the reply, rather distant.

His work must never stop.

The guy had received at least a dozen emails in the time span of our packing shenanigans...

All of which he instantly read over and replied to.

"How do you do it?" I muse aloud, sympathy and curiosity lacing my tone.

At this, he stops his typing and stares at me quizzically.

"Do what?"

"Balance everything? Keep going?"

Elon chuckles, setting his own device off to the side.

His attention is solely on me and my question now.

I squirm slightly under his stare.

"I just do." He replies simply with a smile.

I roll my eyes.

"That's not very insightful, ya know."

Elon shrugs, making his way to his feet before helping me to mine.

"Thanks." I nod as we make our way back out into the living room, my now packed backpack slung over my shoulder.

As I walk past the window, I quickly do a double take.

It's already dark?!

"How is it already pitch black outside?" I muse aloud in disbelief, my gaze not leaving the sight of the bleak emptiness outside.

"Wait? What?" I hear a masculine voice from the kitchen also ponder aloud in disbelief.

"Yeah." I state loudly once more as Elon rounds the corner from the kitchen and joins me at my side.

"Well then."

I roll over my wrist, curious as if to see what time it happens to be.

My disbelief only grows.

"Eleven already?!" I practically shriek as the man beside me whips out his phone, peering at the screen.

"You're not wrong." Elon sighs as he runs a suddenly stressed hand through his hair. "We've gotta get moving. I should've been there to greet the Crews when they arrived."

'You what?!' I want to scream, however I stop myself.

Don't make him feel no worse than he undoubtedly already does...

"Let's go then." I beam, pushing my panic aside. "I'm all good to go!"

I begin to make my way towards the door, though the man in front of me stops me.

"I can't bring you with me," Elon explains, his tone rather hushed and urgent. "It'd be too obvious."

I mentally slap myself.

"Right," I cringe, nodding slowly. "Well, I guess I'll see you in-"

I pause, glancing at my wrist again.

"28 minutes."

He just smirks.

"Good thing I can make it back to HQ in less than ten."

"Please obey the speed limits!" I practically shout after Elon as he dashes out the door, "And be careful!"

"No promises, sweetheart!" He yells back as my door closes behind him with a soft click.

I stand there, in my small hallway, grinning like a love-struck idiot.

Wait...

Love-struck?

And did he just call me 'sweetheart?'

He even called me 'attractive' earlier!

My hand flies to my mouth as I stifle a giggle, followed by a gasp.

There's no way.

However, my emotions beg to differ.

"Holy crap." I mutter aloud, my head falling into my hands as I laugh, this time truly listening to the emotions I'd been shoving aside and ignoring all this time.

I think I'm falling for none other than Elon Musk himself.