The Timing Between Us

Passenger Princess

Clara



So much for ignoring Reig.

Because somehow

someway

I ended up inside his car.

Again.

As a passenger princess.

I stared blankly outside the window while mentally plotting the downfall of my friends.

Traitors.

Every single one of them.

Especially Mika and Marco.

Because apparently giving me the wrong call time was funny.

Very funny.

Absolutely hilarious.

Flashback to thirty minutes ago...

I arrived at the meeting place thinking I was perfectly on time.

Only to discover:

everyone already inside their cars,

engines running,

bags loaded,

and people looking suspiciously guilty the moment they saw me.

That should’ve been my first warning sign.

Then Marco suddenly scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Uh… all the cars are full already.”

Liar.

A terrible liar too.

Because Pat literally had an entire empty seat beside her.

Meanwhile Mika avoided my eyes completely.

Cowards.

Then Marco pointed toward the black Rolls-Royce parked a few meters away.

Only one car left.

Only one driver.

Only one problem.

Reig Miller.

Who was currently leaning against the driver’s side door while wearing black sunglasses and a fitted dark shirt that hugged his body offensively well.

The wind slightly moved his hair while one hand casually rested inside his pocket like he belonged inside a luxury car advertisement.

Annoying.

Why was he standing like that?

Why was he attractive for no reason at seven in the morning?

And worst of all

why did he look so happy seeing me?

“Morning, Rabbit.”

I should’ve gone home immediately.

But apparently my so-called friends already planned everything.

Because before I could even protest.

Mika shoved my bag toward Reig.

“Have fun!”

Then everyone suddenly entered their cars like escaping criminals.

And now

here I was.

Inside Reig’s ridiculously expensive car while he hummed happily beside me.

I hated everybody.

“You’re glaring again,” Reig said casually while driving.

“I’m thinking.”

“Violent thoughts?”

“Yes.”

He laughed softly.

The audacity.

I crossed my arms dramatically before looking out the window again.

The city slowly disappeared as we continued driving farther south.

Morning sunlight reflected against the car windows while soft music played quietly in the background.

The inside of his car smelled expensive.

And annoyingly comforting.

I hated that too.

A few moments later, Reig glanced at me briefly.

“Seatbelt.”

I immediately looked at him suspiciously.

“What?”

“You forgot.”

My face heated instantly.

Because unfortunately

both of us remembered what happened the last time.

The almost kiss.

The stupid tension.

The way my brain completely stopped functioning.

This time, however

I clicked my seatbelt immediately before he could even move.

“There,” I said proudly.

Reig looked genuinely disappointed.

“Aw.”

“Don’t ‘aw’ me.”

“You’re getting independent now.”

“I have always been independent.”

“Mhm.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“You’re annoying.”

“You still came.”

“That’s because your friends are manipulative.”

“Our friends.”

“No. Yours.”

He grinned.

God.

Why did he always look so entertained around me?

The drive continued with nonstop bantering afterward.

Mostly:

him teasing,

me pretending not to enjoy it,

and both of us acting like we weren’t dangerously comfortable around each other already.

At some point, Reig suddenly handed me his phone.

“Directions.”

I blinked.

“You don’t know how to get there?”

“I just got back from New York,” he said casually. “Help me.”

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Because we were literally convoying with our other friends.

But still

I took the phone anyway.

And immediately regretted it.

Because the lock screen asked for a password.

“What’s your password?”

Without hesitation, Reig answered:

“Your birthday.”

Silence.

Complete silence.

My heart stopped.

Then immediately started beating faster.

September 21, 2003.

I stared at the screen like it personally offended me.

Because surely

surely that was coincidence.

Right?

I slowly typed it.

And the phone unlocked immediately.

Oh.

Oh no.

I suddenly became very aware of my heartbeat.

Meanwhile Reig continued driving like he didn’t just casually destroy my emotional stability.

I cleared my throat awkwardly before focusing aggressively on the maps instead.

Absolutely not.

I refused to think deeply about it.

A few hours later, we stopped at a McDonald’s drive-thru.

Reig lowered the window slightly before ordering calmly.

Then before I could even speak

“And one iced coffee with extra caramel for her.”

I blinked.

He remembered.

Of course he remembered.

Meanwhile the crew repeated the order while I stared at him suspiciously.

“You still remember my order?”

“Mhm.”

That somehow made my chest feel warm again.

Annoying.

When the food arrived, Reig started driving again while opening his burger one-handed.

Then casually

Like this was completely normal

He said:

“Feed me.”

I nearly choked on my fries.

“What?”

“I’m driving.”

“Then pull over.”

“No.”

“Reig.”

“Rabbit.”

“You have two hands.”

“One is driving.”

“The other exists.”

He laughed softly before briefly glancing at me.

“Come on.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

But unfortunately

he looked way too relaxed and confident.

Like he already knew I’d do it eventually.

And somehow…

that annoyed me enough to actually do it.

Aggressively.

I grabbed one fry before shoving it toward his mouth.

“There.”

Reig smirked while taking the fry slowly.

Dangerously slowly.

My face heated immediately.

Why did feeding him feel weirdly intimate?

After that, things only became worse.

Because suddenly I was:

holding his burger for him,

handing him fries,

and even lifting the coke toward him while he drove.

And the most dangerous part?

It felt natural.

Comfortable.

Like we’d done this before.

Like we could keep doing this forever.

No.

Absolutely not.

I stared outside the window aggressively again.

The scenery slowly changed afterward.

Buildings became fewer.

Trees became larger.

The air felt fresher.

Then finally

we arrived at Laiya, Batangas.

And honestly?

The place looked beautiful.

Club Laiya welcomed visitors with a huge elegant entryway lined with palm trees swaying softly against the sea breeze. The reception area looked modern yet relaxing, with warm wooden interiors and large open spaces that immediately made everything feel lighter.

Beyond it

a long staircase led down toward the main resort area.

From above, I could already see the sparkling pool below reflecting the afternoon sunlight beautifully.

Beside it were cozy cottages and lounge areas where families and groups laughed together.

And farther ahead

parked near the shoreline

were the camper vans everyone rented for the trip.

But what completely stole my breath away

was the beach itself.

The ocean stretched endlessly in front of us, glowing blue beneath the sunlight while soft waves rolled gently toward the shore. The sand looked pale and clean, warm beneath the light, while the wind carried the scent of salt and summer.

Beautiful.

Peaceful.

For the first time in weeks

my chest felt lighter.

The wind brushed softly against my hair as I stood there quietly taking everything in.

Then beside me

Reig suddenly stopped walking too.

And when I looked at him

really looked at him

My stupid heart betrayed me again.

Because under the sunlight,

with the ocean behind him,

hair moving slightly from the wind,

and that familiar teasing smile slowly appearing again

Reig looked unfairly beautiful.

Then he glanced at me.

And just like that

my heart started beating louder all over again.