60. The A Spot

“After you, ma-Damn.”
“Gracias, Señor.” I play along as I carefully walk, making sure not to leave any print on his branded white shoes as I get on the passenger seat.
Instantly, a rich woody aroma greets me, laced with an undertone of leather and my attention draws towards the extensive interior of the car.
Black, clean, and spotless of any speck of dust.
Shutting my side of door, Dakota walks around the car and slips into the driver’s seat with a fluidity of proficiency.
His musky aftershave scent over powers the fragrance of leather, reaching to me in tidal waves. A distinct smell that is manly and dominant, just like him.
“Seatbelt?” Dakota asks me, fastening his own.
A sense of déjà vu hits me, making me recall our last car ride three years ago. How he protected me from Zydus and then dropped me off safely to my home, while I ripped his heart apart.
I reach for the belt and pull it across my body to secure it, all while he waits patiently. Once I am done, he shifts his attention to the ignition and with a press of button, the car comes to life with a purr of power.
The dashboard appears like a constellation of soft lights, with a center digital screen that feels more like a starship than an automobile. Soft tones of whistles echo from speakers as he connects his phone, then brings his gaze back to me.
“Shall we?” Dakota asks, with his signature *i-am-god* smirk.
“We shall.” I reply, and he licks his lips before flashing a wide smile.
His hand makes a smooth curve on the steering wheel, as he reverses the car before heading out of the gate.
*Song in the background*
*‘You know I can’t smile without you..*
*I can’t smile without you..’*
Soothing notes of music fill in the empty space between us while I look outside the window. Sun shines behind the tall skyscrapers of the city, making the glass buildings sparkle in their futuristic architecture.
*‘I can’t laugh and I can’t sing..*
*I am finding it hard to do anything..’*
The sight feels so iconic and familiar from Instagram posts and in Hollywood films, it makes me feel like a real life protagonist in some movie.
*“You see, I feel sad when you are sad..”* My gaze shift to the man beside me as I hear his deep voice in a melodious tone.
*“I feel glad when you are glad.”*
His long fingers rhythmicallly tap on the steering wheel along to the beat of the music, living in the moment.
The sight is unexpectedly alluring- This version of him, relaxed and casual, singing a song about feelings and connection.
Suddenly, bright emerald orbs lock with mine. I feel my heart skip a beat as he sings looking deep into my eyes. *“If you only knew.. What I am going through..”*
*“I just.. Can’t. Smile. Without. You..”*
Dakota murmurs the lyrics, his voice a soft whisper in the air, but it feels intensely personal, like he is speaking directly to me, to my heart, down to my soul.
*“You came along just like a song.. And brighten my day”*
I avert my gaze, feeling erratic thumps in my chest. The car slows to a halt and I realize we stopped at red light. We both sit in a charged silence, listening to the gentle beats and lyrics of the song.
*‘Who would have believed that you were part of a dream..’*
I could have never guessed that a guy like him, violent and untamed would be into such soft-romantic tunes. It’s such a stark contrast to his dark personality.
“Do you always listen to slow, retro songs?” I ask, letting my gaze find him.
Dakota exhales deeply, his stiff shoulders slowly relaxes as he keeps his head on the headrest and stares at me. “Real life is hard, Emara. But once in a while a person, a song, a poem comes along that just brightens up your day.”
The way he takes my name, I feel a flutter in my stomach.
“This song is one of those.” He tells me with a gentle, genuine smile. The lights turn green and he paddles on the gas, looking ahead on the road.
“And yes, I like listening to slow, retro songs. Even instrumental, in fact all kinds of songs that have magic to take me back to the moment I thought I had lost.”
Casually rotating the steering wheel with one hand, Dakota smoothly takes a right turn saying, “Especially retro ones, they are like time capsules. When I listen to them, it feels like I am transported back to my teenage days when I heard them for the first time. All those raw emotions just resurface and it makes me feel like I am the same guy who used to wander on the terrace at night with my broken Walkman.”
His lips curl into a nostalgic smile, as if he is re-living that memory.
“You know, I had found that old Walkman in a dump, but I took care of it as if I bought it brand new. I still remember it had a heart drawn on it, someone must have gifted to their lover who prolly cheated, maybe that’s how it ended up in a bin.”
Dakota chuckles softly, a sound so contagious that I couldn’t help but chuckle in return.
“Really! Because, if someone had ever given me a cassette full of love songs, irrespective of what happened between us. I would cherish it for life.” He tells me soberly, like we are best friends.
“And this song..” Dakota looks at me, there is a strange kind of sparks in eyes as he softly smiles, “Was one of the songs in the cassette that made me felt something close to.. *Love*.”
It’s strange how I asked him one question, and he started opening his heart to me.
“Maybe that’s why I can’t relate to the music taste of today’s generation, because I grew up with old vibes. And songs like this, hit me with a sense of nostalgia, like there is a version of me, a happy, carefree teenage boy who is now just a memory living in the melodies of old songs. A part of me that now I miss the most.” He says with a hint of sadness in his eyes.
I find myself gazing down at my lap, feeling a connection to his words.
“I think that’s the magic of music. It keeps those parts of us alive, reminding us who we were and maybe, who we can still be.” I whisper, stirring thoughts of my own past, my own forgotten joys.
I remember how jolly and cheerful I used to be! That little girl in me, I seem to have lost somewhere while growing up.
*I wish I could meet her again someday.*
“Can I tell you something?”
I look up and find green eyes already staring back at me. I can never get over the way he looks at me, so deeply, so acutely like I am worth a billion looking at. It’s a gaze I find myself continually captivated by.
“Yeah.” I whisper and wait for that something.
Dakota looks away with thoughts running in his mind and fingers in his hair. “Call it delusion or illusion of time, but somehow..” He takes a deep breath, before his enigmatic eyes find mine once again.
“You make me feel like the old boy I used to be.”