highlander_ii

"Wait, Harvey, they're just going to let you take this car?" Mike asked, his eyes wide as he studied the intricate piece of machinery in front of him. He looked up and saw Harvey giving him a look across the hood.

"'Take' is a strong word. More like 'borrow'," Harvey answered.

Mike stopped moving, his jaw nearly on the floor. "You're serious." He knew Harvey was. Harvey didn't tend to joke about cars. "Do I get to come?"

"No," Harvey's voice was flat in his response. It sounded serious.

Mike could feel his knees trying to give out. Why would Harvey tell him to come here, only to not let him go for a ride? That was really, really mean. Even for Harvey.

"Get in the car, idiot," Harvey said and Mike all but jumped for joy. He'd never been in a car this cool before. Not in all of the trips to the car club. He'd seen all of the cool cars, but never even been allowed to touch one. Now he got to ride in one.

He looked up and saw Harvey's head disappear into the car and the door close behind him. Mike scrambled to get the door open so he could mimic the movement. He almost cracked his head on the door when it opened in a way he wasn't expecting. (Though, since he'd just watched Harvey get into the car, he should have.)

"This is literally the coolest thing I've ever done."

"All you did was get in the car," Harvey sneered. And followed it up with, "And try to give yourself a concussion."

Mike glared at him. "That wasn't my fault." It was, but that's no fun to admit.

"Close the door so we can go," he said and put on his seatbelt.

Mike grinned at the woman who had brought the car out for them as he pulled the door closed on the sharp Italian sportscar. He put on his own seatbelt and looked at Harvey, big cheesy grin on his face. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Harvey's face was stoic, but Mike knew he was just as excited about driving this car as Mike was about riding in it. Harvey pulled away from the curb, into Manhattan traffic, and turned the next corner on his way toward road he could actually use.

"How long do you have this car anyway?"

"As long as I want." Mike knew that wasn't true, but, right now, that didn't matter. Harvey was navigating the streets like a pro, sliding between other cars with absolute ease.

Mike wasn't sure how long they drove until he saw a 'Welcome to Connecticut' sign. Typically it would be almost an hour, but he was sure they hadn't been driving that long.

"Just how fast are we going, Harvey?"

Harvey's only response was a brilliant smile. That told Mike he either really wanted to know or he really didn't. Instead, he asked a different question, "Where are we going?"

Harvey shrugged. "I don't know. We're just driving."

"You're driving with nowhere to go?"

Harvey nodded. "That's right."

Mike settled in to enjoy the ride. All the way out and all the way back. It was a thrilling ride. And a great show watching Harvey maneuver the car. It was better than any roller coaster he'd been on.

When they got back to the city, Harvey pulled up outside Mike's apartment. "What's this about?" he asked, peering out the window, then turning back to Harvey.

Harvey shrugged. "I didn't want you to have to take a cab home."

"And you wanted to make sure I got the full ride."

"Get out of the car. And try not to hit your head this time."

Mike sat there for a moment, not moving. "Did - did you want to come up for a beer?"

"Not tonight, Mike."

Mike nodded and unfastened his seatbelt. He swung the door open and stepped out of the car, no cranial damage or attempted cranial damage this time. He leaned back down into the car. "Good night, Harvey."

"Good night, Mike."

"And thanks. This was amazing."

Harvey nodded and was still watching as Mike stepped back and pushed the door closed. Mike stood on the sidewalk, watching, when Harvey pulled away and took off down the street. It really had been a great night.

Now Mike just needed to learn how to drive.