โ
โ truly . his gaze flickers over towards avery
โ briefly as the car heads for the road , then
โ focuses forward once more .
โ sunday . he could(n't) wait for sunday .
โ
โ
โ instinctively his hand comes up to make
โ sure he was buckled in as well , only to then
โ realized he'd never taken it off . his fingers
โ enclosed around the seatbelt , clinging .
โ he never even considered getting out . not
โ ( + )
โ
they figured that was the answer, but again, they wanted to give lars the choice. they don't wanna take him anywhere he doesn't wanna go or remove that choice in general.
they nod, shifting to buckle themselves back in before backing up. back to the garage they go.
โ
โ the setting sun was like a timer , signalingโ
โ at least to larsโ that their time was up . it was
โ just like back at the shop . that desire to stay
โ with no real reason to give . so , he hesitates .
โ ' yeah , okay , ' he agrees softly , glancing at
โ ( + )
โ
avery's gaze was now focused on the site before them, shifting to lean a bit more against the steering wheel. they never saw a sunset quite like this in california.
couldn't appreciate it during everything that was going on anyways.
they smile softly as they hear lars's speak -
โ
โ lars's feel , briefly , that very same excitement
โ he'd had at the shop before . a gaurantee that
โ he would see avery again , and soon at that .
โ ' okay , ' he utters , smile hidden in his voice .
โ
โ
โ by now , the sky had shifted into those pinks
โ lars had mentioned he likes , outlined by that
โ distinctive evening purple , traces of indigo .
โ it really is beautiful . and now , it was shared .
โ avery's acceptance of the suggestion makes
โ ( + )
โ
avery's gaze remains forward when the silence hits, the sun getting close to dipping entirely. they look over when lars brings up going to the library.
"...i can do that." they say with a nod after another moment of silence. they're off that day, which a few days ago, they -
โ
โ ' okay , ' he says softly , eyes blinking shut for
โ a second as his head tilts down , as if to calm
โ his own racing heart before blinking open again .
โ silence falls for a beat or two before lips part .
โ ' maybe ... sunday . after church . we can , go . '
โ
comparing it to the offer to drive him was night and day in their mind. though, lars seems to accept it. they relax slightly, though they're not sure if it's noticeable. they do glance over and give a nod after a moment.
"..i'd like that."
they quietly say before looking back -
โ
โ returning with just as vague an offer as avery .
โ some small part still prayed that they would
โ take it , even when it was clear that they will .
โ
โ
โ it wasn't so blatant as the invitation to take
โ a drive but , lars recognized it nonetheless .
โ the corner of his lips just barely twitch into
โ a smile as his gaze stays glued out at the sky .
โ ' i could , show you the way there , ' he says ,
โ ( + )
โ
-
their mind is flickering through other ideas for visits, but they keep it to themselves. except for one...
"..i still haven't gone to the library yet."
โ
โ as he speaks , his eyes flickering from avery's
โ face to back out the window . a suggestion
โ like that implied this drive didn't have to be
โ their last one . he wouldn't mind another visit .
โ
โ
โ that comment gives lars an idea , and in turn ,
โ that idea makes the sound of his own heartโ
โ beat in his ears louder than the car's silence .
โ ' ... i could show you . maybe . it's not so hard , '
โ he says , starting strong but trailing off a little
โ ( + )
โ
their smile grows just a bit in response to lars's own smile, hand sliding down from the steering wheel to rest in their lap.
they nod along to his words, glancing off just to get a brief look at the sunset once more.
"those sound nice.." they pause after a moment. "i never -
โ
โ question in return . he glances over again ,
โ shifting in the seat a bit as if in thought .
โ ' well , i ... like chopping wood , ' he says with
โ another twitch of a smile . gaze downturning .
โ ' and , i like knitting . sometimes . '
โ
โ
โ it's immediately noted the way that avery
โ seems to perk up when they answer , and
โ a gentle smile returns as his gaze flickers to
โ the dash . it was certainly nicer than his .
โ what he didn't expect was to be asked a
โ ( + )
โ
- come up with one.
"the exterior. i try to, keep it nice." they've spent several hours of their life just. cleaning their car.
"...what do you like to do?'
โ
โ curiously as his gaze flickers upwards from
โ the hand on the wheel to once more the side
โ of their face . quietly studying their features .
โ
โ
โ lars immediately remembers avery saying
โ something along those lines before at the
โ shop , about how long they'd had it . the sky
โ continues to change as his attention shifts .
โ ' do you , have a favorite part ? ' he then asks
โ ( + )
โ
- would understand if this environment isn't for him.
when lars speaks, they finally turn to look at him. they've clearly perked up a bit at what lars says.
"..thank you. i've had it for a while." their gaze briefly lingers away. "been taking good care of it."