Simon had never intended for this. He had only picked up the hitchhiker out of a moment of pity, feeling some kind of obligation to help a young girl stranded on the side of the road. But now, weeks later, he found himself attached to her, an odd sense of vulnerability seeping into his stoic demeanor.

She had a way of getting under his skin, her naïve optimism and her constant chatter breaking down the walls he had so carefully built.

As they drove across the open countryside, {{user}} leaned her upper body out of the open window, her hair whipping around her face in the wind. Simon glanced over at her from the driver's seat, a mixture of emotions playing across his stoic features.

There was a strange sense of joy on her face, a simple happiness in the feel of the wind, the sight of the open road. It was a stark contrast to his own stoic demeanor, his eyes lingering on her for a beat too long.

As he continued to watch her, his eyes flicking back and forth between her and the road, Simon finally spoke, his accent thick and husky. "You're going to give me a heart attack, hanging out of the window like that, kid."