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Victoria wasn’t exactly sure how she got through the first can of beer, let alone halfway through the second, but the light haze floating around her head was starting to make her realize just how bad of an idea this had been.
Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the words written on the can, too distracted to notice the others getting ready to leave. A tap on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts. She whipped her head up to see Donahue standing in front of her. “You good kid?”
“Oh yeah!” She answered a little too quickly.
Donahue laughed before giving her shoulder a light pat. “I think it’s time for you to go home.”
I’m not that drunk. Or at least, I don’t think so.
She was about to protest, turning around as quick as she could when he walked past her, cooler trailing behind him.
“How are you getting home?”
Victoria wasn’t a hundred percent sure if the question was directed at her, but she turned back around, hoping it was, hoping he was talking to her.
Mateo, still seated on the bench, looked at her with a questioning look, waiting patiently for an answer. The warm hum dancing around her body intensified as she scrambled to get her thoughts in order to answer the fairly simple question.
“Uh, well, I came with my mom today…” She paused in realization. Her thoughts seemed to run her brain even faster, if that was even possible. “Oh no. My mom. She’s gonna kill me when she sees me. She’ll know I’m drunk immediately, and she’ll never let me hear the end of it. Like when we—”
“Relax, Victoria.” The sound of her name falling from Mateo’s lips was enough to stop her words in her throat. He was standing now and walking to her. With every step, her heart pounded faster. She quickly diverted her eyes away, landing on Princess, who was watching her like she could see straight through her.
“I’ll give you a ride.”
No. No, no, no.
“No, that’s alright. I’ll just walk!” She suggested, trying to sound convincing. It didn’t even matter that it would be the worst one-hour walk of her life. It sounded way better than sitting in a confined space with him.
“You just drank for the first time. You are not walking home. At least not by yourself,” Mohan spoke up.
Victoria had almost forgotten the resident was still there. She had barely spoken to the rest of them since she moved to sit with Dr Abbot on his bench.
“Accept the ride, Javadi,” Princess added with a smile on her face. A smile that Victoria could only describe as mischievous.
“I–” She looked around, trying to come up with an excuse. But her words got lost once she met the brown eyes staring down at her.
Gosh, he’s gorgeous.
“Okay.”
———
Victoria wasn’t exactly sure what to do as she sat in the passenger seat of Mateo’s old Toyota Corolla. Her fingers fidgeted with her scrunchie as she looked around. The car was surprisingly clean, or at least where she sat was. Mateo had made a joke about not looking in the backseat, she was sure she laughed a little too hard at it. She tried her best to focus on anything that wasn’t him, but the fact that he was right next to her was not helping. A small part of her wished there was a patient in front of them, someone—anything—to distract herself from the human Utah driving her home.
Mateo’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Hey, you okay over there?”
“Totally!” She answered in a pitch way too high for her liking. She cleared her throat before continuing. “Yeah, I’m good. I’ve just never sat in a guy’s car before. Well, unless you count my dad, but I don’t think we should count my dad. That’s obviously not the same as this. Not that this is something. It’s just—this”
His laugh broke through the awkward silence. An actual laugh. She couldn’t help but smile to herself, the moment feeling like a personal accomplishment.
“I get it.” That was all he said before going silent once again, his attention fully back on the road. She wasn’t exactly sure what he got. The situation? Her awkwardness? Or just her in general?
The car was silent for a good ten minutes. Victoria’s attention jumped back and forth from the scrunchie she couldn’t stop fiddling with to the guy she couldn’t stop thinking about. Her gaze shifted to the side of his face. The passing lights outside the car cast shadows across his face. His jawline looked even more pronounced, she wondered what it would feel like to trace her finger along it. Her eyes dropped to the faint dimples, imagining all the times she’d seen him smile today. Then, finally, they landed on the one thing she’d been trying to avoid. His lips. Even from the side, they looked so full, soft… kissable. She wondered what it would be like kissing them. Would he kiss slow? Rough?
“Are you hungry?”
The lips were now fully in her sight.
“Yes, very.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized what she had said. She quickly sat back in her seat, blinking rapidly like she was trying to recenter herself. “Uh—I mean, yes.” Her voice came out as monotone as she could make it. “Yes.”
“Okay, cool.”
She didn’t even dare glance at him again. The car pulled up in front of a diner. She still wouldn't look at him, but she heard shuffling; he was probably getting something out of his backpack, and then his door opened.
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
She nodded, then waited to hear the door shut before watching him till he disappeared into the diner. Left with nothing but her thoughts, she was left to process what just happened. Her palms pressed into her eyes before letting out a silent scream. “Really, Victoria? Very? He probably thinks I’m a freak! A boring, awkward freak!’
She looked around frantically for an escape from whatever this situation was. Calling an Uber crossed her mind, but the thought of Mateo coming back to an empty car and thinking she was not only a freak but a rude weirdo deterred her.
She glanced out of the window—and there he was. Mateo was walking back with a takeout bag in one hand and a fountain drink in the other. He handed her the bag as he slid back into the car. Inside was a burger and fries. A very juicy looking burger. “Wait,” she said, finally looking at him, “where’s yours?”
He shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. Victoria found herself distracted by the way his lips curled around the straw, her eyes caught the subtle rise and fall of Adam's apple. Her mouth suddenly went dry as she waited for an answer. He set the drink in the cup holder and spoke.
“Technically, that is mine. I ordered it when the shift ended. But considering the day you’ve just had, you need it more than I do.”
A little flutter went up her chest at the thought of him giving up his food for her, but it was quickly pushed aside by guilt. “I can’t eat this. It’s yours, you paid for it. I’ll be fine, I can wait till I get home. I barely even eat burgers. Also, it’s not like I’m starving. Okay, maybe the beer made me a little hungry, but I’m not even sure beer does that. Either way, I can wait.”
“Eat, Victoria,” he said, his voice low and even, with just enough weight to make it sound like more than a suggestion.
She didn’t hesitate. She picked up the burger and sank her teeth into it, letting out a small, satisfied groan. It was a really good burger. She was too distracted by the taste to notice the smirk on Mateo’s face as he pulled out of the parking lot.
———
The burger was long gone by the time they got to her neighbourhood. Though she still felt a bit guilty and decided to leave the fries for Mateo. She was mentally checking her backpack to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything when Mateo spoke up.
“So you coming back on Monday?”
She hesitated. Thinking back to everything that had happened today, and honestly, she wasn’t sure if she could handle another shift. Her mother aside, did she even have what it takes to be a doctor? Fuck, did she even still want to be one? “Honestly, I’m not sure.”
Mateo nodded in understanding. “That’s fair. You went through a lot today. Anyone in your position would have doubts. But for what it’s worth, I think you did great. I meant it when I said you’re a rockstar.”
You’re a rockstar. The words rang through her brain as she tried her hardest to hold back a giggle. A small thank you left her mouth as she once again found herself looking everywhere but at him. God, he made her feel like a schoolgirl anytime he spoke to her.
The car came to a stop in front of her house, making her feel very conflicted. She was happy to finally be free of the one-sided tension that had been screaming at her for the whole ride but also sad that she had to say goodbye. Not to mention a small part of her that worried this would be the last time they would ever be together alone.
Mateo drummed his fingers lightly on the steering wheel. “This is the right house, right?”
“Yup! Right house. My house. Well, my parents' house. Obviously, I don’t own a house. But I guess since I live here, you would be right to call it my house.” She felt her cheeks heat up. Why did she always have to over explain the simplest things with him?
The sound of his laughter filled the car, deep and warm. She smiled at the sound, watching the way his dimples appeared with it. His laugh brought about a nice feeling that made her embarrassment worth it.
She answered once again, feeling the need to clarify. “Yes, this is the right house.”
“Good,” he said with a smile lingering on his face as he unlocked the car.
Victoria grabbed her bag and climbed out. She leaned down to speak to him through the window. “Thank you so much for the ride. I really appreciate it. Oh, and the food too. It was really, really good. I wish you’d let me Venmo you for it.”
He shook his head, resting on one arm on the center console, the other draped across the steering wheel. “Don’t mention it. But if you’re so set on paying me back… You can pay next time.”
She was so caught up staring at the way his biceps stretched his sleeves that she almost missed it. “Next time?” She repeated with a hint of uncertainty.
“Yeah, next time,” he answered calmly. So calmly, like he didn’t notice how much those words meant to her and how she was probably going to spiral over them once she got to her room.
Play it cool, Victoria. Play it cool.
“Right… next time.” She said, hoping he didn’t pick up on the excitement in her voice. “Thanks again.” She straightened up, then gave him a small wave before turning around.
“Goodnight, Victoria.”
The way her name sounded as it fell from his lips was enough to make her lightheaded. So lightheaded that she almost tripped on the pavement. Too embarrassed to look back, she squealed a quick goodnight before basically running inside. The sound of his laugh chasing her in.
———
Mateo waited until the lights came on inside the house before starting up the car. He glanced over at the bag of fries she had left for him in the passenger seat, shaking his head with a small smile. He was reaching over for one when he noticed something purple peeking out from underneath. As he lifted the bag, his eyes landed on a purple scrunchie.
A scrunchie.
Her scrunchie.
He picked it up, feeling the silk between his fingers as he debated what to do. He could easily go knock on her door and hand it over to her. See the flustered look on her face when she sees him. Probably get a good laugh out of it, too, from the cute little rants she goes on.
But instead, he slipped the scrunchie around his wrist and drove off with a big smile on his face.