Drive: Part 1

The odometer clicked over 3,000 miles. She didn't even notice as she sped down the lonely sweeping road in her pick up truck. It was late Spring, and the air was perfect. She had the windows down, letting the breeze in to blow through her auburn hair. She was late, and trying to make up time by taking a shortcut. Singing along to the radio, she was in the middle of a turn when her rear tire blew. Instantly, she swerved, corrected, and pulled over on the shoulder.

Dammit. Dammit Dammit. She thought, as she flipped on her flashers and got out her cell phone.
She had been on her way to meet her brother for an early dinner, and to meet his new girlfriend. She would obviously not be making it on time. She called her brother, Darren, and let him know she would be there as soon as the tire was changed. He asked if she needed him to come help, but she reassured him that she would get it taken care of in no time. She rolled her eyes at herself after hanging up, knowing this was not going to be over quickly.
Having never changed a tire in her life, Audrey did what she knew, and dialed the number for Roadside Assistance. As she sat on hold, a blue pickup pulled up in front of her, and a man got out. She hung up the phone, got out of the truck and put on a friendly smile, hoping this stranger would be able to help her.


She couldn't quite make him out, as the waning sun cast across the horizon. She put her hand to her face to shield her eyes from the glare, and get a better look at the approaching figure. Just as she was about to greet him, she heard him say "Looks like you got yourself a flat, do you have a spare?"
"I think so, it's brand new, I haven't had to do this before..." She replied, thinking that this indeed was a good Samaritan.
"Well, I've got a jack in the back here if you need some help." The stranger said, as he rounded the back of his blue Chevy work truck. Audrey saw him pull out a car jack, and set it on the ground. The stranger was wearing work coveralls like you would see a service station attendant wearing, as he turned to come towards her with the jack she saw the name tag read "Olly". She also noticed he was about her age, late twenties, maybe slightly older. Dark brown hair, friendly smile, and quite handsome. Maybe this day was looking up.

Audrey put on her best smile, and said "I'd sure appreciate it. I am on my way to meet my brother for dinner, and it's bad enough I'm the third wheel, but being late on top of that really makes me look inconsiderate." she laughed, hoping that Olly would laugh to. He smiled, and said "Well, I'll try to get you taken care of and back on the road soon enough."

As Audrey followed the coverall clad man, she watched him walk, wishing his coveralls were tighter so she could better size him up. "So, do you often rescue damsels in distress, Olly?" Audrey asked, baiting him into conversation.
"Only when I'm still in my coveralls, ma'am." He replied, as he bent down to jack up the truck. She thought she detected a slight bit of playfulness in his voice, but not knowing him, she couldn't be sure.
"Thank goodness for your coveralls, then." she replied, "I'm Audrey. I guessed on your name since that's what the tag says, was I right?"
"Yes ma'am, you were." He said, and looked up and smiled at her. He had a nice smile, a trustworthy and warm one. Audrey smiled back, and noticed herself looking him in the eyes just a few seconds too long. She quickly turned away, and realizing she was blushing, stammered on about getting something out of the truck. As she walked away, she could feel Olly's eyes watching her, and sizing her up. She thought to herself "Well, I guess it's only fair since I did it first..." and allowed herself to smile.
Rooting through the contents of her purse, she found her lipstick, reapplied, and checked herself in the mirror. Her roadside mechanic was too busy with the tire to notice her primping. Audrey was excited. Here was a genuine nice-guy, willing to help a stranger. He was good looking, polite, and the closest thing to a date she had had in the last two years.

Wanting to express her gratitude, and keep her pseudo 'date' going, Audrey grabbed 2 bottles of water out of the cooler she kept in the truck, and made her way back to her new friend.

Olly was just finishing up with the spare tire, when Audrey rounded the corner of the truck. She set a bottle of water on the bumper for him, and had one of her own she was taking a long drink from. He looked up at her as she lowered the bottle, and said "I'm just about finished with this, hopefully you won't be too late for your dinner date."
"Oh, it's not a date. It's just my brother and his new girlfriend...I don't even really want to go, but you know family..." She wanted there to be no mistaking, she was available. She watched Olly as he tightened the lug nuts on her truck. Strong. Add that to the list of attributes.
Olly stood up, and grabbed the bottle of water Audrey had brought for him. He took a drink and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his coveralls. He looked at her with a kind of 'whats next?' look on his face, he was waiting for her to say something... Then it dawned on her.. Thank you!
"Thanks so much for stopping, I have no idea how long I would have been out here if you would've kept going...I hope there is some way I can make it up to you" she said, knowing full well what she was walking into and not caring.
He smiled, and said "It's okay, I'm used to changing tires all day, so what's one more on the way home?". He capped his water, and began to roll the jack back to his truck.
Audrey followed behind, "I don't mean to push my luck," she started, "but could I possibly buy you dinner as a thanks? I mean, it would be dinner with my brother and his girlfriend as well, but... I'd really be grateful if you would be my date." She held her breath and crossed her fingers. She didn't know if this actually worked like it did in the movies, but she figured she might as well try.

Olly stopped, and Audrey almost ran into him. He turned around and looked at her, she smiled a kind of coy yet desperate smile at him. Olly replied to her invitation "Is that wise? Asking a stranger out to dinner?" he chuckled as the words escaped him.
"Well," she said, "You won't be a stranger any longer if you come". She didn't break his stare. After what felt like minutes, but was more likely to be only ten or fifteen seconds, Olly finally said "Do I have time to clean up?"
Audrey let out a sigh of relief, and smiled. "Do you live nearby?" she asked.

Audrey got in her truck, as Olly climbed into his, and pulled away from the curb, following the good Samaritan roughly two miles to his house. On the way, she called her brother Darren and explained that the tire was fixed, and she was on her way. She would be there shortly.

When they pulled onto Olly's driveway, Audrey peered down the lane to get a glimpse of the house. She saw an old barn, not dilapidated, but lovely and well taken care of. She saw a fence with horses behind it, two-no three- beautiful horses neighing at the sound of Olly's truck. She smiled. He really must be a good guy, what kind of psycho has horses?

They made a slight turn to the left and the house came into view. A beautiful two story farmhouse, a cheery shade of yellow with white trim. An expansive wraparound porch, lots of potted plants and flowerbeds. Clearly a well cared for property.

Audrey parked behind Olly, and rolled her window down as he made his way over to her. "Where is it we are going to?" he asked her, unsure of the dress required. "Angelo's on First Street, do you know it?"
"Yeah, that's the Italian place, right?"
"That's the one..Hey, do you mind if I change inside? I had planned to at the restaurant but since we are running late...." She hoped he said yes. She really didn't want to change in the yard.
"Sure, come on in. I'll only be five minutes..."

Audrey grabbed her bag and followed Olly up the porch steps. Exciting. Breathe, Aud, Breathe, she thought to herself. She wasn't nervous to go into a strangers house, she was excited and anxious to be in such close, personal proximity to such a good looking man for the first time in ages. Olly led her inside his home, and pointed the way to the bath. He climbed the stairs and was out of sight as she made her way down the hall.
The house was very comfortable, very clean, and homey. Audrey was comfortable here, and it appeared to have only one occupant. No lingering traces of a woman, no errant heels, or left behind lipsticks. Good sign, she thought.

As Audrey closed the bathroom door behind her, she hung her bag by a hook on the back of the door. She had packed a short casual summer dress for tonight's dinner, and so she plucked it from her sack and set it on the vanity. As she undressed, she could hear Olly's footsteps upstairs. She imagined him coming down to find her undressing. She smiled at herself for thinking about him that way.
She slipped on her dress. It was white cotton with a pale green trim along the bodice. It was strapless, and hugged her curves in all the right places. It was one of the most feminine dresses she owned, but she had wanted to make a good impression on her brothers new flame. She changed her shoes, and took her hair down from the ponytail it had been in all day. She quickly touched up her face and hair, and stuffed her clothes back into her bag.

Audrey was a quick changer, so it was no surprise that Olly was still upstairs. She could hear him rushing, and was not worried that they would take much longer. She waited near the front door for him, admiring photographs of the house they were in on the wall.

Olly was still buttoning his shirt as he bounded down the stairs. When he finally looked up and saw Audrey he almost stopped dead in his tracks.
"I'll take that as a compliment, I guess.." She said, and smiled as she opened the door to the warm evening air. He looked good. The coveralls had not done him justice earlier. He was quite a bit more handsome cleaned up then she had expected, and she was even more excited then she had been previously. He was wearing a sage colored long sleeve button up shirt, and khaki pants. His sleeves were rolled up around his muscular forearms, his skin was tanned from working in the sun. Audrey noticed there was not a single wrinkle in any of his clothes. He was a mystery to her, an unwrinkled mechanic. She was beginning to think there was much more to Olly then she originally thought.

Olly climbed into the passenger side of Audrey's truck. She had insisted that she drive since it was her treat. Once she climbed in and closed the door, she could smell his cologne, not too strong, not too pungent, it was a clean smell. She took another breath, held it in, then smiled as she exhaled and started her truck.

On the way to dinner, Audrey explained to Olly that they were meeting her brother, Darren, and his girlfriend Sarah. Audrey had never met Sarah, but Darren had told her that 'she could be the one' and wanted them to meet. She explained that she was close to her brother, as they were all each other had, so it was important to him that Audrey approve.

Olly asked "And what are you going to tell your brother about me?"
"The truth!" she started, "That you rescued me." She didn't know what else to say. She hadn't insisted, she hadn't forced him, but she had hoped very much that he would go to dinner with her. How should she relay that information without sounding like a crazy person who picks up strangers?

"I don't do this, just so you know," she said, "I have never asked a stranger out or gone into their home without knowing them. I just want you to know, I'm not used to this. I just...when you stopped, you just struck me as a genuine good guy, and I wanted to thank you for helping me when you didn't have to." she paused. "Okay, and you clean up VERY well and make quite a handsome dinner date. That might have had something to do with it too." She flashed a smile at him. Had she said too much?
"Well, I hate to see a girl in trouble...Especially one as pretty as yourself. Please, don't take this the wrong way Audrey, but when I came down the stairs and saw you in that dress, well, you were just about the prettiest thing that's ever been in that old house!" He laughed, hoping she didn't take his comment the wrong way.
"Well thank you sir." she said, as they pulled up to the restaurant. "Now, what do you say we have ourselves a lovely dinner and get to know each other a little more?"

As they made their way through the restaurant, Audrey spotted Darren and Sarah at a corner table. Darren waved, and Audrey smiled and continued on her path towards them.

As she reached the table, Darren stood up and gave Audrey a hug. It had been a couple of weeks since they had seen each other. Both had been busy with work.
As she turned around, Olly pulled out her chair for her. A smile of pleasant surprise crept on to her face as she said thank you, and turned to her brother to introduce her escort.
"Dar, this is Olly. Olly, this is my brother Darren. This gorgeous woman I am guessing is Sarah." She smiled at Sarah. She wasn't lying, Sarah was a beautiful girl, long blond hair, bright blue eyes, perfect skin. Darren had chosen well.
"Good to meet you both." Olly said as he shook Darren's hand and smiled at Sarah.
Once seated, Darren gave Audrey a look of surprise that she had expected. She had never brought a 'date' along to meet Darren before, it was typically the other way around. She gave him a look that read 'I'll fill you in later...' and left it at that.

The waiter came by the table and took drink orders. Both Audrey and Olly ordered beers, while Darren and Sarah had martinis.
One more thing she liked about him. Down to earth, a beer drinker, like herself.

The evening wore on, as the four of them laughed and talked. It wasn't as if they were all strangers, but as if they had been friends forever. Audrey liked that. She also like that Olly was quite personable, and much more talkative then he had been while working on her tire earlier in the day.
Sarah was quite lovely as well, and she could see why Darren felt so strongly about her. She felt they complemented each other quite nicely.

They finished their meals, which were excellent, and sat making small talk, none of the four really ready for the evening to be over.
Finally, Olly said "Are you all free for the rest of the night? Because the movie theater is right around the corner. We could all catch a show." Audrey was pleasantly surprised by this invitation. She was hopeful that Olly was enjoying himself, but wasn't completely sure. Now she knew he was, and he must have liked her at least a little to sit in close quarters for two hours in the dark with her.

Darren and Sarah explained that they had an after-dinner engagement with Sarah's parents, but a rain check was definitely requested. Olly turned to Audrey, and asked her "Well, how about you? Care to keep me out a little longer?" he flashed her a smile that she hadn't seen from him yet. Playful, yet devastatingly handsome. She almost lost her composure, but managed to utter a simple "yes, please" in response to his question. Excitement. Total excitement. That was all she was feeling right now. She tried to remember the last time she had been to a movie-let alone with a man-LET ALONE on a date! Was this an actual date now? It had to be. He had asked HER. Simply thrilling.

Darren snatched up the check as usual and would accept money from no one. That's just how he was. Both Audrey and Olly thanked him for his generosity. As the four made their way out of the restaurant, Darren pulled Audrey back, so the he may have a moment to chat with his sister. Sarah took this cue, and chatted with Olly as they exited. Audrey knew exactly what Darren wanted, so she cut him off before he had a chance to ask.
"He saved me after the tire blew. I know, I know, don't look at me like that." she whispered to him.
Darren looked at her with a smirk on his face.
"You have NEVER brought a guy to dinner...and now you bring a total stranger. You are full of surprises, Sis."
"I know, but look at him. Do you think I could resist? And he seems like a really nice, funny, charming guy, doesn't he?" She realized that she was getting that dreamy look in her eye and that Darren had been staring at her as if she were a love struck teen.
"Well, yes, he does seem very nice, and all. Just be careful is all I'm saying. I love ya, Sis. But that doesn't mean I'm not protective...even if you CAN take care of yourself."
"I know. Sarah's really nice Dar, I like her. Very good choice." She smiled at him, hoping that she had deflected the attention on to him, rather then herself.
"Thanks, it means alot to me that you like her. I think she's going to be around for a while." He beamed with joy. She could see it on his face.

The two strolled outside together to find their partners chatting and waiting for them. They all exchanged hugs, and Sarah and Darren made their way to to the parking lot.