When Iris clarified that she had been talking about the fact that he hadn’t been irresponsible as a driver, Cas realized he must have misunderstood her. Now it made sense. She had just been referring to the fact that there were no blemishes on the outside of his car, not the cleanliness of it. [color=#b97703]“That’s true,”[/color] he chuckled. [color=#b97703]“I try not to scratch up the paintjob.”[/color] It also helped that it was pretty well known around the capital what kind of model he was driving. He didn’t have to worry about leaving the vehicle alone in a parking lot because no one would dare to even risk tapping it with their car doors or bumping into it when they backed out of their spots. He could trust that it would always be in the exact same condition in which he left it.

At Iris’s comment about his friends, he sighed exaggeratedly. [color=#b97703]“Well, I [i]guess[/i] so,”[/color] he glanced at her with good-humored smile. [color=#b97703]“But that doesn’t mean I won’t give him shit about it.”[/color] In truth, she was right though. If Jay hadn’t agreed to take his car two nights ago, he probably would have waited at the party to sober up until he could drive it home, himself. He never would have noticed her cry of pain in the woods, and she might not have been discovered until it was too late. He shuddered at the thought.

When she agreed with him about the quality of the speakers, he grinned proudly. It was one of his favorite features, since he liked listening to music anytime he was traveling around the city. Having a quality stereo system only made it better. It was also adjustable, so he could toy around with the bass and treble depending on the kind of music he wanted to play. Ever since he’d gotten the car two months ago, he’d had a lot of fun experimenting with the sound.

Glancing briefly at Iris again, Cas noticed she was moving rhythmically to the beat of the music by tapping on the dash. He bit his lip to suppress a laugh, not wanting her to think he was making fun of her. He just thought it was cute how much she liked the song that was playing. It was also good to see her so lively now that she was out of the hospital. Before, he hadn’t even seen her get up from her bed, but now, he could tell she had a lot more energy than he’d originally realized. It was a good sign, he thought, because it probably also meant she was healing well. He couldn’t imagine she would be this happy if her leg was hurting her.

As she explained that she had a bit of an ache, he nodded. There would be plenty of time for her to rest when they got to his place, so hopefully she would recover quickly. Even if her memories took some time to resurface, it would be nice if she could lose the crutches to walk on her own again.

[color=#b97703]“Alright, we can make a stop on the way,”[/color] he said, taking a brief look around to decide which outlet was closest to them. Recognizing the street up ahead, he slowed at the light and turned right to bring them to a mall that was within a mile of where they were now. [color=#b97703]“Maybe we can split it fifty-fifty,”[/color] he shrugged at her request to pay him back. [color=#b97703]“It’s no trouble for me to cover it though. You don’t have to worry.”[/color]

When they arrived at the mall, he drove up the length of the massive, crowded parking lot and pulled into an open space close to the entrance. Another perk of being royalty, there was a designated spot for the Maydestone family in most large lots around the capital, so he never had to walk far when he visited. It was also helpful since it meant Iris wouldn’t have to worry about straining her leg from the car to the door.

Taking the key out of ignition, he climbed out of the car and circled around to get her crutches from the back seat before he opened the door to help her get out. [color=#b97703]“Remember this place at all?”[/color] he asked, offering her a hand in case she needed it again. [color=#b97703]“It’s a pretty popular spot, especially among girls who like to shop together on the weekends. You’ve probably been here before.”[/color]