The car already waited at the curb by the time we got outside. Kyle opened the back door and leaned in to speak to the driver. "We've got one more coming."

He stood upright and motioned for me to get in. I clambered into the backseat, hesitating just a moment to contemplate whether I should sit in the middle or scoot all the way over toward the opposite door. Usually, I'd take the most uncomfortable seat in the center, but tonight it felt like that spot would be the one Felicity would want.

The decision was made for me when Kyle began to push into the car behind me. He growled, "Move," while sliding over until he was in the center with his legs spread out over the hump in the middle of the floorboards.

My seatbelt strap was halfway across my body before I realized that the anchor was mostly beneath him. Securing things together would require placing my hand under his bottom. I let the strap go. The buckle clattered loudly against the door as it retracted.

Kyle turned toward the source of the racket and made a tiny tsk of disgust. I peeked up at him. His lips pressed together in a grim line for a second. Then he looked me in the eyes as he said, "Allow me." His tone much more of a command than a request. The buckle was in his grasp before I could respond.

He slid the strap out much more slowly than necessary, his eyes searching mine the entire time. Even as he maneuvered his large, warm hand between us to find the anchor, his gaze didn't stray.

The clasp clicked.

"Thank you," I whispered.

His giant hand remained, balled into a fist between us. Kyle frowned and blinked once. I didn't know what he was waiting for.

Maybe he wants me to say something else? Or do something else?

It was only when Felicity ducked into the car, filling the backseat with boisterous energy and the scent of her expensive perfume, that he turned away. His hand pulled back onto his lap.

Felicity buckled herself into her belt and asked, "All set?" She placed a hand upon Kyle's knee and leaned over to look at me with a smile.

"Yep," I said with a nod, before tucking myself as close against the car door as I could. I turned my face to stare out the window, determined not to watch where her hand might go next as the car pulled away.

I knew the dark streets beyond the glass like the back of my hand, but as they rolled by, I pretended they were as foreign to me as if I were an alien invader studying them. If only I had a spaceship that could fly me away from this torture at warp speed. The unfortunate truth was that even if we were traveling faster than light, this car ride would be too long for my liking.

Occasional street lamps offered  glimpsing reflections of Kyle and Felicity beside me, and my tortured imagination began filling in the images more luridly. Kyle shifted beside me.

Is he putting his arm around her?

My pulse rocketed at the thought. I fought the urge to focus on anything that might be seen in reverse on the glass, to keep my eyes trained on the beyond while my brain frantically scrambled for something else to think about.

A nineties love song played on the radio. I didn't want to listen to the lyrics, but it seemed better than overhearing any potential sounds from them. The singer crooned out the question, "What would you do, if my heart was torn in two?" I stifled a groan, unwilling to contemplate my answer.

A contented sigh came from Felicity, and I shifted my hand from my knee to grip the edge of the car seat instead. The pleather wouldn't bruise. "All you have to do is close your eyes, and just reach out your hands, and touch me..." two singers harmonized.

Suddenly I felt heat on the seat beside my fist. Kyle's hand was there. His pinky brushed gently against mine. Unbidden, my fingers unclenched, relaxing into his featherlight stroke.

Chancing a glance at his reflection, I saw his head turn towards me, not Felicity. I suspected hers was on his shoulder, not his chest. With a slight shift I looked down at our hands. His pinky caressed mine again and I wet my lips.

His voice was a gruff whisper. "She's asleep."

"Well, it was a big night. You must be tired too," I whispered back as I shifted my eyes up to meet his gaze.

"I'm not," he said with an edge of something I couldn't make sense of in his tone.

"I suppose that's because you've gotten used to working nights," I suggested.

"That's not the reason." His head shook.

The car stopped. Our driver cleared his throat and looked at us in the rear view mirror. "First drop-off."

My pretending had worked, because I felt so disoriented in that moment. It took me a minute to realize we were in front of my place. But immediately after that, the idea that Kyle coordinated this ride so I would get out first hit me like a stun gun.

"Okay. So I'm... um..." I stuttered, while pulling the car door handle open.

Then I felt Kyle's large hand come down upon mine. "Ray, wait," he called out a bit too loud. Felicity stirred on his shoulder, mumbling something unintelligible.

I held my breath and looked down at our connected hands. Then my eyes flit up to his face. With furrowed eyebrows he released a tiny huff. The sound seemed a mix of relief and disgust.

"You forgot something," he whispered as his hand lifted from mine.

"I did?" My eyes grew wide, dumbfounded as I realized that I really wanted him to bring that hand up to my face like he had at the bar.

Kyle nodded at my chest, the seatbelt still taut across it.

"Oh, right," I said with a nervous chuckle.

Before I could move to unclasp it, he did. Its click made me flip that switch inside my heart. The one that turned on my survival mode and my megawatt smile.

I sprung from the backseat, and turned toward the car door. My bright skirt swished about my legs as I prepared to shut it. I bent down and said a chipper, "Good night Kyle!"

His eyes flicked from my mouth, to my cleavage. I pulled the collar of my coat closed and held it tight in my fist.

"Night," he returned through clenched jaw.

I stood up straight, shut the door, and practically skipped up the walkway, determined not to look backwards. As soon as my door opened, I heard the car finally pull away behind me.