Vinyl grinned as she toed the throttle. The car growled as the revs rose, and the overrun snorting and barking as she let off and they fell. She did it again, letting the revs rise a little higher, and back down. The parking garage echoed with the roar, the kind of noise only a truly well engineered engine can produce. She wasn't even moving yet, but this car was doing a very good job of impressing her. Grabbing the lovely aluminum and wood shifter, Vinyl put the transmission in gear and pulled out of the spot.
As she drove up to the exit of the garage and into the sunlight, Vinyl had to pause before pulling out into the road, her eyes admiring the way the metallic burgundy paint glistened. It really did sparkle something wonderful. She knew that pedestrians were staring, and she loved it. This car was an attention whore, to be sure, and Vinyl loved every moment of it. The shimmering paint, the thundering engine, and her own bright blue hair combined into what she imagined as one hell of a scene. Vinyl decided she had sat still long enough, and toed the throttle.
"VINYL BE CAREFUL, DAMN IT!"
The motor roared and the rear tires fought a losing battle for traction as the car leaped out of the garage exit and thundered onto the road, leaving faint black marks on the road behind them. Vinyl was giggling hysterically, but Octavia was less than pleased.
"I'm all for hooliganism, VInyl, really, but we are in the middle of the city! You could have hit someone!"
Vinyl smiled and rolled down the window, hanging an elbow out and letting the soft breeze tickle her hair.
"But I didn't! And look, we just did a little burn out, and I barely touched it! This thing has power! I haven't even tried Sport or Race mode yet!"
Vinyl pointed at a small knob on the center console, which had markings for Wet, Comfort, Sport, and Race. It was currently set to Comfort, which Vinyl remembered the salesman saying something about smoother throttle response, a broader torque curve, and something something flaps in the exhaust that can make the car louder.
"I can't wait to hit the country! If this thing growls like this in Comfort, I can't wait to really punch it."
"Well, remember, it's in my name, so be careful. It's your first time driving it, and I'd hate to break it a week after we got it."
"Relax, it's under warranty!"
Octavia smiled and chose not to reply, instead reaching forward and twiddling with the radio controls. They had only opted for a few extras, the high end stereo being an obvious choice for both of them. Vinyl had been harboring doubts that a radio could hope to compete with the exhaust, but as soon as Octavia found a suitable station, those worries vanished. Octavia put her window down as well, and they cruised down the afternoon streets, classic rock blasting. Vinyl felt like her grin was going to tear her cheeks apart.
While they were stopped at a red light, Vinyl got to hit the other button she had been dying to press, right beside the Sport button. She pressed it, and seconds later, the roof was stored away in the trunk. Vinyl wanted her hair to blow in the wind, but seeing as they were still in traffic, it wasn't happening. Still, the convertible was a wonderful place to sit, moving or not.
Sitting in traffic gave Vinyl plenty of time to admire the inside of the car. The wooden trim around the dash, console and door panels was mirror smooth, and absent a single imperfection. The burnished bronze buttons and switches gleamed in the sunlight, but not quite enough to be distracting. The steering wheel was wrapped in the finest of leather, as were the seats. Vinyl toyed with the seat heating system for about a minute before deciding it just simply wasn't cold enough for that.
Once she had exhausted sources of entertainment on the inside, Vinyl turned her attention to the outside. All she could see of the car was the hood, but she could see the way bystanders were gawking. As one young man was taking a video on his phone, the traffic light turned green, and Vinyl couldn't resist the urge to hesitate a moment to let the car in front get some distance, then punching the gas just a bit. The car barked sharply, and Vinyl had to immediately brake before running into the back of the taxi. Octavia rolled her eyes at the antics, but said nothing.
Before long, the buildings grew shorter and the traffic began turning away. Not nearly soon enough, there were more trees than houses, and not a car in sight. Vinyl left the car in Comfort as she cruised, enjoying the experience. A few miles out of the city, Vinyl pulled into a small, quiet gas station to get some essentials for the kind of afternoon it was. She hopped out of the car and walked towards the entrance, calling to Octavia over her shoulder.
"I'll be right back. Put premium in it, would you dear?"
"Of course, m'lady."
A few minutes later, Octavia was waiting in the car when Vinyl finally came out. She was carrying a plastic bag and wearing a pair of black aviator sunglasses. Getting into the car, Vinyl reached into the bag and handed Octavia a similar pair of sunglasses, a soft drink, and a pack of cigarettes. Octavia put on the sunglasses, and Vinyl immediately felt the vibe. Octavia fit this car way too well, with her dark sunglasses and darker hair flowing gently in the wind.
Octavia lit a cigarette as Vinyl buckled her seatbelt and thumbed the ignition button. The engine growled to life pleasantly. Brimming with anticipation, Vinyl reached down and turned the drive mode to Sport. The idle immediately opened, getting a little more obnoxious. Prodding the pedal, Vinyl smiled even wider at the exhaust note, a discernibly louder demonic cackle now emanating from the automobile.
Pulling out of the gas station with tires smoking and a soundtrack fit to wake the Devil, Vinyl aimed the dark red missile down the road and floored it. The country road had curves, but not too many. Vinyl kept half an eye on the speedometer, enough to see she would definitely go to jail if she got pulled over. If they could catch her, of course.
The howling roar of a thousand lions chased the girls as they surfed the autumn's wind deeper into the wilderness. The city was a distant memory. All that existed was the car, the road, and them. A few dozen miles and a quarter tank later, Vinyl slowed down and put the knob back on Comfort, dangling her arm out, heart still racing.
"Hot damn, this is quite the car. Good choice, Tavi."
"Thank you. I told you that this one was adequate. The bigger engine is just too much for our purposes."
"And I still have a hard time believing it. My dad and brother are both old school, muscle car guys, so I've always heard, 'No replacement for displacement!' But not a single time since I've gotten in this car have I thought, 'Gee, you know what, it's good, but I wish it was more exciting."
Octavia laughed, but the sound was mostly swept away by the wind. The wind rolled off the windshield smoothly, not causing unnecessary cabin noise, but it was still an open-air convertible moving along at a decent pace, and that causes turbulence. Vinyl would have to either put the top up or turn down the radio to hear Octavia clearly, and she dearly didn't want to do that yet. Time for that was approaching, mile by ecstatic mile. Vinyl noticed that her pace was slowing as they encroached deeper and deeper into the forest. It wasn't because of the road, which was blessedly clear and smooth. No, it was more that she was getting an increasing feeling that the raucous racket caused by the sports car was almost sacrilegious of these old woods, such was the peacefulness of the acres.
It was far too soon as well as not soon enough when they reached their destination: a quaint little cottage, tucked far away form anything resembling a highway. There was nothing to disturb the peace except the tweeting birds and the song of the wind in the pines. The cottage was small and simple, exactly why Vinyl had jumped at the opportunity to mooch it for a weekend. A coworker had overheard that it was their one-year anniversary, and had revealed that the cabin he owned was unoccupied this particular weekend. She had tried to keep it a secret, but she was almost as bad at Octavia at secret-keeping. She had made it less than a week, but Octavia spilled the beans about the car two days before she had even gone to the dealership to order it.
The car was tucked neatly away beside the cabin, the top put up and trunk emptied of suitcases. Vinyl put the old key to the old doorknob, and the old door opened to the old chalet. It was comfortably furnished, if not too luxurious. The word 'cozy' immediately leapt to mind.
One suitcase was casually tossed over here, the other over there. One girl fell with a sigh onto the unbelievably soft bed, the other onto the equally comfy sofa. They lay this way for the better part of an hour, before they began to miss each other's arms. One arduously stood from her nest amongst the spongy pillows to join the other, and before long, they were doing what we all know they were doing. Needless to say, the weekend was spent in pure bliss, the kind most mortals (and probably some immortals) could only imagine of.