Back in her car, she searched for nearby places to stay.
"There's a place about twenty minutes from here," she mumbled to herself, adjusting the GPS and starting the engine.
Just then, her phone rang.
"Who is this now- oh! Mom?"
She parked quickly and answered. "Yes, Mom? T-The flight is in one hour.. Don't worry, I'll call once I get there. Yeah, my phone's low on battery, so I need to hang up. Love you, bye~"
She sighed. "Sorry, Mom. I had to lie."
Glancing up at the sky, she frowned. The clouds had thickened, and snowflakes were beginning to fall.
"I should hurry."
As she was about to leave, something caught her eye, a man standing by a car at the roadside. Hood up, hands shoved into his pockets.
"Seems like there is some problem with his car" She thought, "Wait, isn't he… that's the guy from the restaurant!"
She reached for the ignition, hesitated, then shook her head. "I was thinking of helping him, but now I've changed my mind."
Her hand hovered.
"But it's freezing outside..
She shakes her head,
"So what? That's his problem. He can call for a taxi– but taxis don't run much at this time.. Forget it. I should just focus on my way."
She groaned,
"Ugh, I can't."
With that Elisa made a turn and pulled up the car beside him. She rolled down the window.
"Need help?" she asked.
The guy turned. "You!?"
Elisa held up a hand. "Okay, before you get any wrong idea, no, I'm not hitting on you. I'm genuinely asking if you need help."
He stared at her, feeling conflicted about whether he should accept her offer or not, while she continued,
"Seems like you are not interested-"
"Wait!" He said immediately, "Can I get a lift?"
She nodded toward the passenger door.
"Get inside."
He grabbed his bag but paused as she added, "By the way, my mom knows my location."
"So?"
"And I'm a black belt in karate."
He raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"Nothing. Just… get in."
He climbed in and shut the door.
Elisa started the engine, keeping her eyes on the road. "And in the restaurant, I wasn't staring at you. I was actually-"
"It's okay, I'm used to that," he replied coolly.
"What?! Excuse me, I wasn't-"
"I forgive you."
"You" She laughed in disbelief. "Well, thank you for your forgiveness," she said, dripping with sarcasm.
While her eyes focused on the road, she continued after a pause,
"By the way, I'm Elisa."
That name.. Kris glanced at her, his eyes observing her profile while her gaze was locked on the road ahead. After a moment, he looked away again.
"What? I'm not trying to be friends or something," she said defensively. "It's just a simple introduction. I mean, it's okay if you don't want to tell me your name–"
"Kris."
She looked at him, "Huh?"
"My name. Kris," he repeated, still avoiding her eyes. Her gaze, however, lingered on him. Only then did she truly realize how close he was. The distance between them, which had seemed manageable in the restaurant, was now just inches. The shifting light revealed him more clearly: the way the streetlight caught his eyes, making them shine, the surprising softness of his hair, the perfect curve of his nose, and those lips–
"Eyes on the road," he said firmly, interrupting her thoughts.
"Huh?" She swerved her attention back to her driving.
"I- I am looking at the road!"
"It's okay. I can understand." Kris said calmly.
"You- ugh"
The sound came out as a frustrated huff. Annoyingly she tightened the grip on the steering wheel; While she stewed in her embarrassment, a little chuckle surprisingly slipped from his lips, a small, private moment that went entirely unknown to her as they continued their hushed, snowy journey.