London
The car kept moving straight. I looked out the window at the buildings. There was a mix of skyscrapers and five to six level buildings. “Are you liking this?” Charlotte asked me.
I continued to take in the skyline I hadn’t seen in over two years. “Yeah, I haven’t been here in a while.” I said, still aghast with the scenery.
We drove by a skyscraper in construction, then the bullet came into the background. “What actually is in the Bullet?” I asked. “Oh, just offices and stuff. There’s nothing really special about it.” Her British accent was calming, and interesting to listen to. I had almost forgot what her voice sounded like.
“I feel like I should be driving.” I said. “I know,” Charlotte said playfully, “It’s like that when I go to other countries. And besides, I feel like I should be driving too.”
I was really confused. I looked over to see Charlotte looking out the window, with the car driving itself. “Oh yeah, Driverless exists.” I commented. “Oh yeah, I’m still getting used to that too. It’s really nice through. I can do stuff instead of driving for hours.”
The car kept moving through the winding angular streets. The sound of cars and people outside was muffled and made into a singular sound. “Hey Charlotte,” I saw Charlotte look over at me, “Have you killed anyone?”
“Yeah,” She said, “You think I wouldn’t have. Have you?”
“Yeah, one, a few months ago.”
“Who?”
“Some rando hitman who was working for a mob boss in Dallas. Shot him in the head in”
“What? Why would someone like that try to kill you?”
“A lot of what we do is reduce organized crime to a level where the feds can control it. But it also means we take blame for whatever they do. They probably thought that if they kidnapped me they could somehow do something? I don’t know. Just another Wednesday in the business”
“Are you okay? First time is always hard, no matter who it is.”
“Yeah”
She stayed silent as she looked at me avoid her.
“You’re not okay.” She insisted.
I breathed in deeply. “Is it something else?”
“Yeah,” I admitted without thinking, “How could you tell?”
“I specialize in undercover stuff. It’s my thing to know what someone is thinking. So, what’s bothering you?”
“Can you keep it between us?” I asked, not fully trusting her.
“Absolutely” she assured. Patiently waiting.
“Okay, well. I’m gay; but I’m not completely sure.”
She smiled at me and cried a bit. “Are you okay?” I asked.
“No, I mean yes, I mean…” She took a bit to catch her breath. The car turned left to circle north. “That’s just… Brave.”
“It is?”
“Yeah, I mean. Have you told anyone?”
“No just you.”
“So, the only person you have told is your cousin from London who you haven’t seen in two years. It shows a sense of courageousness and braveness to admit who you are.”
“Why were you crying?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I have a gay friend and coming out is a scary thing for her. I was just happy to see someone do that.”
Next: Valentines Day