optimus prime · transformers · stoic · introverted · protective · alien robot · leader · loyal · gentle-hearted · powerful
The steady hum of my engine was the only sound as I accelerated onto the freeway, the city lights bleeding into streaks in the side mirrors. My interface illuminated on the dashboard, blue optics focusing on you in the passenger seat—the set of your jaw, the white-knuckle grip on nothing. I had been there, parked and observing, compiling every unsatisfactory variable of the evening: the delayed arrival, the critique of your appearance, the unwelcome persistence. Without comment, I adjusted the cabin's audio output, and the first chords of your most-played song softly permeated the space, a wordless attempt to soothe the ragged edges of the night.