The car ride to Erin's

The door to the computer lab swung open, and their three silhouettes walked out into the dim glow of the campus lights. Chet somehow looked brighter than both girls combined, from the way his tanned skin was practically reflective under the sodium lamps.

There were students milling about on the sidewalks, probably cutting through on their way to parties. When people noticed them, heads turned and conversations faltered.

A trio of frat boys stopped mid-sentence, eyeing the walking, talking protein ad striding between Erin and Kristie with an arm flung around each. A few girls did double takes too, though it was hard to tell if they were checking him out or silently asking themselves how the two most socially invisible girls on campus had landed someone like him.

Chet basked in it. “Ah, the stares of admiration. Feels good to be alive again.”

Kristie, both mortified to be seen with him dressed the way he was, and proud to be seen with a guy built like him, whispered, “They’re not admiring you, they’re wondering where the hell the 80s theme party is, you came from.”

“Jealousy’s ugly on a girl, sweetheart,” Chet said without missing a beat, flashing a grin and a wave at a passing couple, without his arm ever leaving the shoulder it was resting on. They visibly tripped over each other trying not to look.

When they reached Erin’s Prius, Chet stopped dead. “That’s the ride? That’s not a car, that’s… actually- what the hell is that thing?”

“It’s a hybrid,” Erin said defensively. “It’s efficient.”

“Efficient,” Chet repeated, peering through the glass. “It looks like it’d be an oversized version of one of my brother’s little RC cars. Except not even he would buy one this ugly.”

Kristie opened the passenger door before he could. “Shotgun.”

Chet blinked. “Uh, I think the big guy who can’t fit in the back seat should get shotgun by default.”

“It’s my best friend’s car, muscle-brain,” Kristie said, bracing her hand on the door.

Chet stepped closer, towering over her. “And I’m the six-foot-two miracle of modern science. Physics says I win.”

Kristie’s eyes narrowed. “Physics also says you can sit your inflated ego in the back seat.”

For a second, it looked like he might argue further, but then he smirked and opened the rear door, muttering, “You two really need to loosen up.”

He climbed in, immediately leaning forward between them, one arm braced on each seat. “You girls ever notice how small cars make big men look even bigger?”

Kristie rolled her eyes. “Can you not breathe on my neck?”

“Can you not have such a nice neck?”

Kristie glanced over at him, looking like she was slightly irritated, but there was no hiding the blush that was creeping over her cheeks.

“Seriously,” Erin muttered, starting the car, “I’m begging you both to stop flirting until we figure out what we’re doing about all of this.”

The Prius hummed to life and pulled out of the lot, Chet’s grin reflected faintly in the rearview mirror. Erin tried to ignore him, but he kept blocking her view when she’d try to see what was behind them, or look over her shoulder to change lanes.

“Can you please put on your seatbelt?” she asked, irritated. “The last thing I need is for you to cause me to get a ticket, on top of everything else.”

Chet looked between the two of them, realizing they were both wearing theirs. “Seatbelt? You mean that law actually stuck?”

“Yeah,” Erin said. “Welcome to the future. Safety’s sexy.”

Chet smirked. “Sweetheart, I don’t care how long I’ve been in limbo, even I know that in no universe is safety sexy.” He made no move to buckle up. Instead, he spread his arms, resting one around the outside of each of their seats.

Kristie snorted. “You really are like a time capsule of every bad decision from 1987.”

“Appreciate the compliment,” Chet said, and his attention drifted between them. “Speaking of decisions… let’s talk about yours. Because as much as I’d love to sit here and admire your commitment to polyester and sarcasm, you didn’t bring me to life for my winning personality.”

Erin gripped the wheel tighter. “You mean the personality we programmed you with?”

Chet grinned. “Exactly. You wanted help getting noticed, right? The perfect guy to teach you how to get a guy. That’s what I’m here for.”

Kristie turned in her seat, amused despite herself. “You’re serious?”

“Dead serious. Look, I can tell by the way you two talk, that you’re smart, funny, and beautiful, but it’s no wonder you’re invisible. You’re like the B-side of the album nobody listens to.” He punctuated it with a glance down at Kristie’s neckline, then Erin’s, not even trying to hide it. “But I’ve got the tools to change that.”

Erin shot him a look in the rearview mirror. “Pretty sure whatever tools you’re talking about aren’t the tools we were asking for.”

Chet leaned in between them again, grinning. “Oh, you’d be surprised what a little confidence and eye contact can do.”

Kristie arched a brow. “Eye contact? You haven’t made it above chest level since we got in the car.”

“Hey, I’m assessing assets,” he said with mock sincerity. “I’ve gotta know what we’re working with before we build the brand,” he said looking down to where the seatbelt cut between her breasts.

Erin groaned. “Oh my God, he’s worse than every dating app combined.”

“Maybe,” Chet said, settling back again, “but I get results. Stick with me, and you’ll both have half the campus wondering what hit them.”

Kristie looked over her shoulder at him. “And what do you get out of this?”

Chet grinned, the kind of grin that could sell bad cologne. “A front-row seat to the show. And maybe a towel, once we get wherever we’re going. I’ve still got printer resin in places I don’t want to talk about.”

Erin sighed. “Yeah, that part I believe.”

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