Adelia walked alongside him, the night air brushing cool against her skin, her arms folded loosely across her chest more for comfort than cold. She snorted at the mention of a fight at Waffle House. “Honestly? That does sound about right,” she said, glancing sideways at him with a grin. “If someone isn’t yelling about hashbrowns or fighting their reflection in the syrup dispenser, is it even really Waffle House?”

She laughed again when he mimicked her music dilemma so dramatically, the image of him swerving off the road to protest Barbie Girl sending her into a fit of giggles. “Oh no, now I have to play it,” she teased, her voice faux-serious. “Just to see how long I’ve got before you dramatically roll out of the car like we’re in some low-budget action movie.”

She watched him toss his keys with an ease that mirrored the rest of him; unbothered, confident, always leaning toward chaos. And yet, somehow, she didn’t feel nervous following him. Not in the way she might’ve with someone else she just met. Maybe it was the way he wore every emotion on his sleeve, or the way he laughed like he had nothing to prove. Or maybe it was just that for the first time in a long time she felt like she wasn’t the only one trying to figure it all out as she went.

When he made his phoenix dream confession, she slowed a little, giving him a look that was both impressed and oddly amused. “Okay, now that’s kind of poetic. You dream of burning bright and flying free, and I’m out here brewing potions for fairies.” She shook her head with a laugh. “Clearly, I’ve got the more practical fantasy life.”

As they neared his car and the lights blinked on, she shifted her weight and tapped her fingers against the root beer can still in her hand. At his final warning she leaned her elbow casually against the roof of the car, mirroring his posture.

“Well,” she said, brow quirking as she leaned in a bit with a wry smile, “I was raised by a man who drove ten miles under the speed limit and braked three seconds before every stop sign. I think I’ll survive.” With that, she slid smoothly into the passenger seat, pulling the door shut with a satisfying [i]thunk[/i]. She looked around the interior briefly, then down at her drink.

“And hey,” she added, glancing at him with a flash of teasing in her eyes, “if you do drive like an old man, it just means I’ll have time to mentally prep for those waffle dreams. Lady Lavender has a kingdom to defend, after all.” She buckled her seatbelt and gave him a little nod, chin tilted upward. “Let’s ride!" Adelia fumbled for a few moments, trying to wrangle the knotted mess of her celllphone charger before plugging it into his AUX. She pressed a few buttons and soon enough "Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven began to play through the car's speakers. 

"Please tell me you listen to Divorced Dad Rock too?"