>"Hey, I'm done. Come get me."
>Be Anon
>Get a text from Aria, telling you that she's finished at work
>You shift your gaze to the clock above the television
>10:32
>Yep, just about that time
>You bury your phone into your pocket and stand up from the couch, making your way towards the car keys on the table
>You throw your head over your shoulder back to the TV
>Eh, you'll only be gone a few minutes, might as well leave it on
>You snatch them and turn towards the door to leave
>Right before you open the door, you glance over to the bike next to the table
>You sigh at the waste of money
>You bought the bike for Aria to ride to work so this shit could stop happening
>But every day was the same
>"Hey Anon, get off your lazy ass and drive me to work."
>"Lazy"
>Yeah, look who's talking
>You leave your apartment and lock the door behind you
>Your eyes adjust to the lingering darkness, the dim lighting from the lamps in the small corridor slightly accommodating you
>You begin your journey to your car, digging your hands into your pockets
>Your situation with Aria starts to encompass your mind as you walk
>You think back to the start
>How she came up to you while you were at work and asked if the place was hiring
>How she apparently fucked up the interview and how you had to put in a good word to get her the job
>How your boss mentioned something about how she hated supermarkets, despite applying for a job for one
>How she moved in with you after "things fell through with her friends"
>How you bought her the bike
>...and also how she never fucking used it
>And then to now

>Things were pretty alright, all things considered
>She paid rent on time, she pitched in for food, and even threw a bit at you for utilities
>You both lived pretty comfortably
>Hell, you could probably even say that you liked her
>But you still couldn't forget about that bike
>Even after living with her for a few months, you were still pretty sore about it
>The feeling subsided shortly after
>You didn't really mind the car rides with her anyway
>As you turn the corner, your car comes into view
>You fish your keys out of your pocket and ready the remote to unlock the door
>You press the button and the sound of the door unlocking brings a small sense of satisfaction to you
>You arrive at your car and open the door, climbing into the driver's seat and closing the door
>You ease the key into the ignition and turn
>The engine starts and the firs thing to catch your attention is the slight breeze from the A/C
>It's soon replaced by the light from the stereo system nearly blinding you, followed by sound of a radio station's pre-recorded self-promotion
>"K-L-O-N, Clone Radio. We play the songs that sound more like everyone else, than anyone else. Clone."
>Pop music begins to flow from the speakers
>You groan and turn the volume down
>Aria loved turning the station to this before getting out of the car, since she knew you hated this station
>She was always so goddamn discrete about it that you never noticed
>You shake the thought, throwing your seatbelt over your torso
>Safety first, motherfucker

>You shift the car into reverse and begin to back out of your parking space
>You turn the car towards the complex entrance, shift it into drive, and take off
>A few minutes pass and you pull into the parking lot of the supermarket
>You only spot a few cars in the lot, most of which you recognize being belonged to the employees
>Past the cars, you can see Aria, leaning against the wall near the entrance with her trademark folded arms
>You pull up to the curb near her
>Her eyes meet yours through the window and she kicks herself off the wall, walking over to the passenger door
>She throws the door open, climbing inside
>"You're late."
>You cock an eyebrow at her, turning your gaze to the clock on the stereo system
>10:39
>Your eyes go back to hers
"It hasn't even been ten minutes."
>She sighs, closing the door
>"Whatever, let's just go home."
>You shrug your shoulders, driving through the nearly empty lot
>"No wonder it took you so long, you drive like a fucking old lady."
>You ignore her snide comment
>You've learned to tune her out almost completely, actually
>The entire car ride was spent with her complaining about how her day was
>"-and not to mention, the bitch complained to me about the price of a can of soup. I mean what the fuck, I don't price the shit."
>Nothing new, it's just a different version of the same story she tells almost every day
"Well, that's what you gotta deal with as a cashier."
>You could hear her scoff and see her fold her arms out of the corner of your eye
>You pull into the parking space and shut off the car
>You unbuckle yourself, whilst Aria's already out of the vehicle
>You take your keys from the ignition and follow Aria's lead
>As you close the door behind you, you click your remote and lock the doors
>Aria saunters over to you, visibly exhausted from her day
>"Hurry up, I'd like to get to sleep today."
>You sigh, clenching your keys into your fist

You both make your way back to the apartment
>As soon as you get the door open, she brushes past you, pretty much throwing herself onto the couch
>She bends her head back over the rim of the couch and and sighs loudly
>"Finally home."
>You were as glad to be there as she was
>The warm air from the inside of the apartment kissed your face as you walked in
>You shut the door and lock it behind you
>You lie down on the couch, your feet pointed to Aria, and resume where you left off before you left to get her
>Your eyes were practically glued to the television as you sat in modest silence with Aria for almost a full minute
>You began to think that she fell asleep, though your assumption was short-lived as she brought her head back to a normal position
>Her eyes slowly moved to you
>"Not working tonight, I'm guessing?"
>You only shake your head in response, the TV locking you in a trance
>You could see her nod and then yawn from your peripheral vision
>She stood from the couch and walked slowly over to you, blocking your view of the TV
>"Move over."
>You look up to her, a smirk on your face
"What's the magic word?"
>"Now."
>You laugh a little to yourself before creating a niche for Aria to fit in
>She smiles, lying down next to you, her back against your chest
>She shuffles a bit, trying to get comfortable
>As if to top it all off, you bring your arm over her
>A small, though pleasant, sound escapes her as you do so
>She always liked to be like this, and you didn't mind at all
>But that noise was new
>You spend a few minutes together cuddled up like this before she breaks the silence
>"Hey..."

"What's up?"
>She sighs to start her statement
>"I know it's probably a pain in the ass to you to drive me to and from work, but.."
>She brings her head up to see you, her face mere inches from yours
>"I'm really grateful. I just, you know, feel safer when you do it."
>Was Aria really thanking you for this?
>Well now the whole thing about her not riding the bike makes sense
>She feels 'safer' when you drive her?
>You really weren't prepared for this, she was hardly ever this open with you
>All you can do at this point is smile and nod gently in acknowledgment
>"Yeah, no problem."
>She smiles back, surprisingly
>Even more surprising than that though, she turns her body to you and wraps her arms around you
>"This may sound lame, but... you're kinda what I look forward to all day."
>You feel the blood move to your cheeks as she says this
"Y-you too."
>She digs her face into your chest
>She takes in your scent with an obscenely loud inhale
>"Hmm, you smell pretty good."
>You laugh quietly to yourself
>You bring your other arm under her to tie in the hug
>You close your eyes from the bliss of the situation
>This only puts you off guard
>Shortly after your eyes shut, Aria plants a pretty long kiss on your cheek
>You feel the corners of your mouth practically touch your ears as she does this
>You return the favor by putting an equally long kiss on her forehead
>She snuggles up closer to you in response, a small moan of pleasure leaving her
>You don't think she'd say it out loud, but you know that she liked you as well
>You could get used to this every day
>And you know that there's even more to this in the long run
>Why stop there?