Annabelle’s car looked like it had seen better days. There was a small dent in the back of the old Blue Cadillac. It took a bit of strength to open the door, but once inside it smelled like lavender and wax.

The car is so old it has a cassette player.

She takes some weird-looking empty cassette with an aux cord connected to it, and connects it to her phone. When the car starts, music from her phone starts playing and I raise my eyebrows.

“Amazing,” I mumble.

“This ain’t nothing. You’re really drunk, huh?”

She slowly pulls out of the parking lot, but once we’re out of town she starts to speed up like crazy. The top of the car is down, and my head is rattled once again.

“Slow down,” I shout.

“No way, this is so much fun at night! No one else is out!”

She swerves onto a dirt road near a farm, and I get nervous about Sheriff Grant. She sees the look on my face and reassures me.

“This is Charlie’s farm, its cool.”

I no longer care about trespassing.

Annabelle Lee makes donuts in a large empty lot near the entrance of the farm. I fist pump the air, while she blares the music even louder. The world is spinning, but when she slows down, I’m still spinning and then I realize.

I’m gonna barf.

She turns off the engine but leaves the headlights on as I jump out of the car, roll onto the ground. All my liquid courage leaves my body in the middle of the night. I’m a little embarrassed, because she rubs my back the entire time, until it’s all out.

My eyes water and throat hurts but I feel a lot better.

“I’m so sorry Nick. I was feeling a little silly and got you sick.”

“Its fine. This was gonna happen at home anyway.”

She seemed pleased with the answer, and we got into the backseat of the car. After shuffling some stuff around, Annabelle finds me some water, and I chug it down as fast as possible. Suddenly she asks me a weird question.

“What do you think of Evangeline?”

“She’s nice, I guess? Why?”

“Well, you know? She wants to go on a date with you but she’s too shy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, when you two were at the bar, she told me! Take her out!”

I slowly shake my head no and uncomfortably smile.

“Why not? She’s pretty,” Annabelle says. “Is she not your type?”

“She’s not my type but she’s not ugly. I saw someone at the bar tonight. I couldn’t take my eyes off them when they were performing.”

For some reason she looks shocked. I didn’t think I hid it that well, but apparently so.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying,” Annabelle asks me. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! Why are you so surprised?”

“I mean… I dunnoh, don’t you think people might be against it?”

“Why? Is it because I’m not from here? I heard there’s those sorts of ideas out here in the middle of nowhere.”

She blows a short pfft out of her mouth and rolls her eyes.

“I think you’ll have more than that to worry about for dating in this town. People aren’t very accepting…. but maybe they might be since you rescued us at the diner.”

I nod enthusiastically and took her hand. She squeezes it and I wonder if it’s okay to lean in for a kiss.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Maybe she’s talking about how her and Charlie are already together, and people wouldn’t approve of her leaving him for me.

I’m always second guessing myself. I came to Edelweiss to stop that.

But I don’t.

We sit there for a while in the dark, listening to the sound of crickets and looking at the stars, telling each other about our lives. I don’t know how long we were out there, but it was another moment that felt like forever, but somehow was way too short.