Through The Dark

11: Driving Lesson

Saph

We decided to split the bill even though he had offered to pay. I was glad he didn't persist and instead agreed on my offer, because letting him pay might had given him the wrong idea that this was a date.

Just as I was about to circle the car and get into the passenger side, Niall stepped infront of me to stop me.

"Time for your first driving lesson." He smiled as he got ahold of the strap of my backpack, pulling it off my shoulder and handing me the keys to his car after he had unlocked it.

"Now?" I rose an eyebrow, looking around the almost empty car park.

"Yes, it's the perfect opportunity since there's hardly anyone around."

"Don't you have anything better to do than teaching me how to drive?"

"Nope." He chuckled and placed my bag in the back seat before he slid into the passenger seat. I got in as well, suddenly getting nervous when I faced the large, leather lined steering wheel.

"Bring the seat forward, you're too far back to reach the pedals." He instructed and I looked at him like he was speaking in a different language. I've never even sat in a driver seat of a car before and I was completely lost already.

"How do I do that?" He chuckled at my dumb question.

"There's a latch underneath the seat on your right. Pull it up and scoot forward." I did as he said, searching for the latch but having no success in finding it. He was clearly amused by my struggle and leaned in towards me.

"Let me help." He offered as I sat up straight in the wine red leather seat. He draped his arm over my lap, getting ahold of the latch I was desperately trying to find and pulling the seat forward with ease. The close proximity of his face to mine and his body heat radiating near me along with the faint aroma of his sandalwood scented cologne sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't explain why, but I couldn't tear my eyes off of him as he leaned back in his seat and put on his seatbelt.

"Can you press the brake all the way to the floor?" He asked, breaking me out of my trance. I cleared my throat, hoping that he didn't notice I was staring at him and looked down at the two pedals infront of my feet.

"Which one is the break?"

"The wide one. Step on it with your right foot." I followed his instructions and he observed me carefully.

"Alright, now can you rest your wrists all the way on the top of the wheel?" He asked and I reached up, doing exactly as he said, but having to stretch to reach all the way up. He noticed and lowered the wheel down a little, making sure it was perfectly aligned for my height.

"Great. Put the key in that slot right there." He pointed at a small gap in the dashboard, behind the steering wheel. I grabbed the key fob that was resting on my lap and pushed it in. The gage cluster of the car lit up in blue and the infotainment screen showed the Lexus logo before a brief welcoming jingle played. I put on the seatbelt as well and waited for his next instruction.

"Now, press the brake down all the way and push the Start button." He explained and pointed at the red button that was next to the screen. I did as he said and the engine came to life, making me jump a little from the sudden sound.

"This is called an electronic parking brake." He explained, pointing to a button with the letter P next to the gear selector.

"The light means it's on and the car can't move." He said and pressed it, turning the small red light below the letter off.