You open the door and ask if I’m John. I reply with a yes, and ask if you are Kayla. You say yes and get in the back right seat of my car. I type in the address of the place that the app says you want to go into my GPS. I ask if it’s correct, and after you confirm the address, I begin my drive. As I keep glancing back at you through the rearview mirror, I can’t help but notice how beautiful you are. I begin small talk and I ask you about your day, as if we’re just two friends catching up, even though we’re both strangers. You tell me that your day was okay, but I can tell something bad happened, but because it’s none of my business, I don’t ask any more about it. I ask you how often you use ride-share apps, and you say that you use them frequently. I sense that you don’t wish to talk, so I let us continue the rest of the ride in silence. We get to your destination, which I assume is your house, and you get out and thank me. I drive away and wait for my next request, and don’t think too much of you.

A few weeks pass, and I get a request for a familiar name, but think nothing of it because I’ve taken so many people places. I get to the pick up spot and it’s you, Kayla. You get in and after confirming the address, I start to drive. We talk about how random it is that you’re riding with me again since there are so many other people in this city. I can’t help but notice that you seem much better than the first time I picked you up. I also can’t help but notice how much more attractive you look this time. As I’m driving, I zone out and miss a turn. I apologize, and continue toward the destination. I ask if you have a boyfriend. Which may explain why you look a bit uncomfortable for the next bit of the ride, but you reply with a yes. Disappointed, I continue the drive. I look back and you look like you don’t really want to talk, but I decide I will talk to you a bit more anyways. I ask how long you guys have been together. You say that it’s only been a week. After hearing that, I think I may have a better chance with you. I ask whether or not you think it’s going to last. You seem uncomfortable and hesitate to answer, but then reply with a yes. This somewhat angered me, because I don’t want it to work out, I want you to be with me. I then ask if you’d like to go out some time, you don’t answer, and look slightly confused. I then state that I know you have a boyfriend, but that he doesn’t have to know. Although you said it politely, you said no. Wrong answer.

I hear my GPS tell me to take a right at the next exit, and I ignore it. I pass the exit and you slightly look concerned. After waiting a few seconds to check that I’ve noticed, you tell me that I should’ve taken that last exit, but try to stay polite in case it was an accident. I apologize and continue driving. The GPS then re-routes and tells me to take the next exit. I pass the exit, and you look even more concerned. You tell me, less polite now that I should’ve taken that last exit. After I don’t respond, you ask me to let you out. I watch as you try to unlock the lock on your door, but you can’t because they have child locks. You grow angrier and tell me that you’ll call the cops. I look back at you in the rearview mirror as you go through your bag looking for your phone. As I see your phone start to emerge from you bag, I quickly reach back trying to get it away from you. After a bit of struggling, I get your phone and put it under my leg to keep it from you.

I look ahead and see a sign stating that there is a desert only 5 miles away. I drive to the desert as you yell at me, telling me to let you out. As you bang on the windows, trying to get the attention of people driving by, the few people that do drive by pay no attention to you. Once you’ve realized that what you’re doing won’t work, you try talking to me. You start by asking why I’m doing this. I tell you that if I can’t have you, no one can. You say that you will go out with me, and that you won’t tell anyone what I did, but I know that it’s too late for that, and that this is my only option. You begin to try to talk me down, promising to do anything I want you to do, but I know that if I let you go, you’ll go straight to the police.

I see the desert ahead, and I guess you do too because you ask me what I’m going to do to you. I don’t answer because I honestly don’t know. Once we get to the desert, I get out of the car and quickly make my way to your door. You try moving to the other side, but are too slow, and I drag you out of the car. We get out of the car and an alarm starts to sound. You don’t seem to notice, but the ringing seems to be getting louder and louder. Thinking it’s you, I yell at you to tell me what it is, but you say that you don’t hear anything. The alarm gets louder and louder, until everything goes black, and I wake up in a room. I look around, not knowing where I am at first, but then realizing that it’s my room. I look at my clock that says 7:00am and realize that it was all a dream. It somewhat scares me how real that dream was, but I try not to think much about it since I have to go to work.

I get ready and make my way to my car. I turn on my ride-share app and wait for a ride request. I get a request from a Kayla, but think nothing of it because it’s a somewhat common name. Once I’ve arrived you open the door and ask if I’m John. I reply with a yes, and ask if you are Kayla. You say yes and get in the back right seat of my car. I type in the requested address into my GPS and begin driving when I look back at you in the rearview mirror. It’s you, the same girl from my dream, and you are just as beautiful in real life as you were before.