A hush fell over the car for a moment, but with the way Charlotte was sitting and the look in her eyes, an explosion felt imminent. Leonid deliberately ignored her, enjoying the way it riled her.
"Leonid!"
She finally snapped, complaining at his behavior.
"Stop ignoring me!"
Leonid perked up as if Charlotte's complaint had brought him back to life, and he smiled sarcastically.
"Oh my, what's with the sharp mood? Who told you, darling, that I'm ignoring you?"
He rested his arm on the center console and idly tapped his cheek with his fingers, glancing at her now and then with playful eyes.
"Alright, I'm listening now… what do you want?"
She didn't like his tone, so she rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Yes, maybe you're not ignoring me anymore, but you just mocked me!"
Leonid raised an eyebrow in exaggerated innocence.
"Mocked? Me?"
He enjoyed playing up his astonishment, his eyes gleaming mischievously despite the innocent tone.
He then regained a slightly serious tone and asked her with a sidelong glance:
"When did that happen? Tell me, when did I mock you?"
Charlotte exhaled sharply, then let the words rush out.
"When you said how lucky you are to have me, and when you imitated me saying, 'What?'… and now you're still mocking me!"
She raised a hand and lightly smacked her forehead, then tilted her head toward him and asked, flustered,
"Just… why do you do that?"
Leonid smiled slyly, pretending to ponder before answering honestly.
"Maybe… because I want to wake you up?"
Her eyes widened, then narrowed quickly.
"Stop the nonsense you were trying to force me to sleep a moment ago!"
He chuckled softly, keeping his eyes on the road.
"That was earlier… not after you said you wanted to stay with me."
Her breath caught for a second; her gaze faltered and her cheeks warmed with a faint blush.
"So you deliberately provoked me so I'd be fully awake?"
Leonid gave a confident sidelong smile and said,
"And why not? A great method, isn't it?"
"Great?"
Charlotte's tone lost its edge; she nodded hesitantly.
"Oh… yes, of course."
"Perfectly fitting… no one reacts to it like you do, my darling."
Charlotte furrowed her brow, unsure whether to feel pleased by his words or irritated by how he saw her.
Catching her frown, Leonid reached out with his free hand toward her.
She hesitated a moment, looking from his palm to his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
she asked, confused.
"Let's intertwine our hands,"
he answered with a smile.
"And what about driving?"
"I can drive with one hand."
He said confidently, holding the wheel steadily, then added in a soft tone,
"Come on… just place your hand on mine."
"What's happening?"
"Nothing."
Leonid answered Charlotte calmly.
"Don't tell me… are we out of gas?"
"No."
Leonid sighed after answering Daniel's dramatic question, then crossed his muscular arms over his chest.
"So what is happening?"
Lyudmila asked hesitantly, glancing around as her red hair strands swayed over her shoulders.
"Just a short stop, doesn't mean there's a problem,"
Leonid replied patiently and calmly.
"The rain is heavy and limits my visibility, so I decided to wait until it eases a little."
Tension filled the car for a moment, and Leonid sighed again before adding:
"We're not the only ones stopped on the roadside, so no need to worry."
"On the contrary, I'm not tense at all actually, I'm quite comfortable, but…"
Daniel raised his hand sincerely, explaining his feeling while the two girls turned to him:
"I'm really hungry."
Leonid finally turned toward him, giving him a sharp glance before replying impatiently:
"The rest of the snacks are under the seat. Take whatever you want."
"You're awesome!"
Daniel exclaimed joyfully, leaning slightly over Lyudmila's thigh to grab the closed bags.
Lyudmila laughed, then said with genuine admiration:
"That's true, he woke us all up, organized the bags, and now he's driving us… Leonid, you're really talented!"
Daniel glanced at her with mock irritation, straightening himself in the seat while holding the snacks:
"I'm cooler than him."
Lyudmila smiled and whispered softly:
"I know."
"Then why are you praising him? He's not that great."
He continued to complain while looking out the window, stuffing snacks into his mouth.
Lyudmila giggled shyly. It was funny to provoke Daniel's jealousy so easily; she wanted to tease him more, but her phone rang suddenly, cutting off her desire.
"Oh… it's my dad."
"Answer it immediately."
Daniel urged seriously.
"I will."
Lyudmila quickly answered the call, while in the front seats Charlotte stared silently through the wet glass. Leonid noticed and asked in a low voice:
"You look comfortable that the rain isn't stormy."
Charlotte whispered back:
"Yes… I'm grateful for that."
He nodded with a smile, as if it was beyond his control, then asked:
"Is there a reason? Something from your childhood, perhaps?"
Her voice trembled slightly as she replied:
"Yes… that's true."
His smile slowly faded, but his eyes remained fixed on her deeply.
"Will you tell me?"
She breathed slowly before saying:
"And why wouldn't I? Okay… it wasn't really an accident. It was just a lesson I had to attend. I was small, maybe eight or nine… in a dark laboratory room, the teacher started talking about lightning, then showed a loud video of terrifying thunderstorms, along with images of the damage lightning could cause if it struck someone."
"That's a lot for a little girl."
Leonid commented softly, then pressed his lips together silently. After a moment, he asked in a low voice:
"And since that moment, you've been afraid, right?"
She nodded slowly and whispered:
"Yes… and with the accidents I witnessed later, I became even more scared… such a coward."
She smiled despite herself, tilting her head toward him as she looked into his eyes:
"I seem cowardly, don't I?"
Leonid remained silent, staring at her deeply without answering.
She sighed lightly and added with a faint smile:
"Okay, I really am a coward… I might seem strong sometimes, but I'm not."
"You're not a coward."
Leonid said firmly but calmly, as if correcting an undeniable fact.
Then he added with a slight smile:
"You're just spoiled."
She exhaled, raising her eyebrows:
"You're not helping."
"At least I admit the truth."
Instead of getting angry at his teasing, Charlotte burst out laughing. Her laughter was genuine and refreshing, so much so that Lyudmila, who had just finished a call with her father, turned forward in surprise, looking for the reason.
She glanced quickly at Daniel, but he was busy with a snack, shrugging as if to say, I don't know.
Leonid simply watched her laugh for a moment, as if it had touched something deep within him.
"I didn't say anything funny,"
he remarked with a slight smile, then returned his eyes to the road and resumed driving once the rain had eased.
"So, what did your father say?"
"Nothing important, just warning us to drive carefully… it's raining in the city too."
"Really?"
Daniel shivered a little at the thought, imagining slippery streets and cold winds whipping past pedestrians.
"What a day…"
he muttered in a grumbling tone.
"You're right, a perfect day to head back."
Lyudmila smiled in agreement.
Charlotte turned back toward her, pretending to frown:
"You really like the rain, don't you?"
Lyudmila smiled quietly.
"That's true."
Charlotte hesitated for a moment before asking,
"Well… did Uncle say anything about—"
Leonid intervened, finishing her sentence calmly,
"Thunderstorms."
Lyudmila's eyes moved toward him, and she repeated in question,
"Thunderstorms?"
Leonid nodded slightly, and Lyudmila confirmed in a serious tone,
"Yes, my father said the weather is very stormy… I could even hear the thunder from afar."
Daniel turned to her, surprised,
"And yet you say it's a good day?"
"Oh, come on, be optimistic. The thunderstorms will calm down as soon as we reach the city."
Lyudmila's tone was firm.
Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, while Charlotte looked forward again, arms crossed tightly, clearly signaling her tension.
Lyudmila blinked lightly, as if silently criticizing their way of being optimistic, while Leonid continued driving in silence.
As the car approached the city limits, the building lights began to shimmer in the distance, a mix of pale white and blue, reflecting the glow of streets wet from the rain.
Despite the beauty of the view, the sky had not yet calmed; a deafening lightning flash and rolling thunder shook the horizon, while raindrops splattered against the glass, dancing to its violent rhythm.
Leonid drove smoothly and steadily, keeping his focus while moments of silence fell over the passengers.
Charlotte felt a light shiver run down her arms with each flash of lightning, but she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remain silent, determined not to complain despite her hidden fear.
In the back seat, Daniel crossed his arms and looked out the window, then raised an eyebrow at Lyudmila, as if to say: "See?" She understood his glance, pursed her lips, and muttered:
"I was trying to stay optimistic… stop teasing me."
Daniel smiled lightly, then returned his gaze to the rainy scene outside, while Leonid continued driving steadily.