After leaving the coffee shop, ire headed straight to the spa.
By the time her full luxury spa package was finished, it was already 11 PM.
She requested a ride, but the car hadn''t arrived yet.
All she could do was pull her jacket tight and wait outside.
Autumn in Northcrest was bitterly cold. The night wind cut like a knife, chilling her to the bone.
As she waited, ire mentally cursed Felix up and down for wasting her time. Nearly twenty minutes passed, and there was still no sign of her ride.
ire sent a message through the app, asking the driver what was taking so long.
A few momentster, the driver called her back. "I am so, so sorry. I got into an argument with my girlfriend, and she''s really upset. I need to rush over and check on her. Ipletely forgot to cancel the ride. Could I trouble you to cancel it on your end?"
ire was left speechless.
The driver sounded genuinely apologetic, pleading with her, "I am truly sorry, I didn''t mean to leave you hanging. My girlfriend is pregnant, so her emotions have been a bit vtiletely, and..."
Hearing that a pregnant woman was involved instantly softened ire''s heart. "It''s fine, I''ll cancel it."
The driver was overwhelmingly grateful. "Thank you, thank you so much!"
Before hanging up, a thought urred to ire, and she asked, "You two aren''t married yet?"
The driver chuckled. "Soon. We''ve been together for five years, since college. To save up for the wedding, I''ve been driving nights as a side hustle, hoping to make a little extra to support her and the baby."
"Young love is rare. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness."
As soon as she said it, she felt a little cheesy and quickly hung up the phone.
The clock in the square across the street chimed twelve times.
Midnight.
A brand new day.
Some people were watching the ocean, some were surrounded by love, and some were stranded on the street at midnight.
ire sniffled and pulled out her phone to request another ride.
Suddenly, a Rolls-Royce glided up and stopped perfectly right in front of her.
ire paused and tilted her head slightly to peer into the car.
The rear window rolled down, revealing a sharply contoured, handsome face.
It was Wilbur.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Waiting for a ride?"
"Ah, yeah." ire hadn''t expected to run into him here.
Thinking about it, it had been quite a while since theyst saw each other.
Thest time was the night they kissed.
ire didn''t mean to think about that kiss right at this very moment, and her face grew slightly awkward.
Thankfully, the darkness of the night hid her blush.
"I''ll give you a ride," Wilbur offered. "It''s hard to get a cab around here."
Since he was offering, turning him down would seem unnecessarily stubborn. So, ire got in.
Only after settling into the seat did she notice the faint scent of alcohol in the air.
Wilbur must have juste from some banquet or reception.
The car was being driven by a chauffeur.
ire was somewhat relieved they weren''t entirely alone.
Whether he had too much to drink simply
Wilbanted to give her spacene
Wilbur kept his eyes closed
and
rested for the e entire drive
They didn''t exchange a single word.
It wasn''t until the car pulled up in
front of the hotel that ire foundet
swet
herself awkwardly debating whether to say thank you.
She really ought to, but he looked like he was sleeping, and she didn''t want to disturb him.
Just as she was hesitating, the man
who had kept his eyes shut the
entire time st
opened them
He nced at the hotel outside and asked, "Why are you always staying
in hotels?"
His sudden question made ire jump slightly.
"It''s just more convenient for my line of work," ire exined.
Wilbur didn''t press the issue, though he cast a thoughtful look at the building.
Taking the opportunity, ire thanked him and said goodbye.
Wilbur simply nodded.
She had nned to wait for his car to leave before walking inside, but the driver made no move to pull away.
So, she headed in first.
Just as she stepped through the revolving doors, Wilbur''s car swiftly drove away.