The animated sky lit up again above the small, cozy coffee shop. Numerous lamps and lights turned on, stairwell lighting came on, and elevators and escalators started moving.
"I think it's time for me to go," said the blonde, blowing out the candle on the table.
"I'll walk you out, if you don't mind..." Alexei responded, getting up to follow his companion.
"I don't mind," she smiled.
"I guess I messed up this date?" Alexei asked with an uncertain smile, half-jokingly, as they rode the elevator down together.
"Was it a date?" the blonde replied playfully with a question.
"Wasn't it?"
"Maybe..."
"I'm sorry," the programmer said, sounding a little sad. "I only do interviews, but I haven't been on a date in a long time. I guess I've forgotten how..."
"Then let's consider it a job interview that was like a date."
"Or a date that was like a job interview?"
"Or something like that..." The girl smiled again and looked intently at Alexei.
"Are you disappointed?" the programmer asked seriously, putting his hands in his pockets and assuming his usual slightly stooped posture.
"I wouldn't say that..." the blonde replied, still smiling. "You're exactly the nerd my friend described you as."
The young people left the shopping center and headed for the parking lot.
"I could walk you home..."
"You could... But not today," the girl replied seriously.
"Well, or at least call you a taxi..." Alexei continued without looking at her, putting the battery back into his smartphone.
"That's not necessary, Lesh... I drive myself," the girl stopped near a stylish light metallic-colored car, took the keys out of her purse, pressed a button on the key fob, and opened the door.
"A "Tesla" Model S..." Alexei couldn't hide his surprise. "Damn, that's a real retro car! A pre-war classic! I didn't think there were any left...
"If you want, I'll give you a ride next time," the girl said cheerfully as she got behind the wheel.
"Next time? Does that mean...?"
"It doesn't mean anything!" The girl laughed, pressed the gas pedal, and moved toward the parking lot exit.
Alexei watched the car drive away, feeling a strange but pleasant warmth inside and thinking that today was probably the best day he'd had in the last six months.
Suddenly, a driverless taxi shot out of the oncoming lane and collided head-on with the speeding "Tesla". There was a loud crash and the sound of metal crumpling. Both cars stopped dead, their deformed bodies clinging to each other.
The shocked programmer ran up and froze a few steps away from the wrecked cars. Realizing the futility of his actions, he nevertheless pressed the ambulance call app with trembling fingers, sending the GPS coordinates of the accident site to the medical service.
The "Tesla's" body suffered less damage than the taxi's lightweight body, but this did not ensure the safety of its owner. The inside of the windshield was stained with blood. The girl's light hair, as if smeared with red paint, was scattered in waves across the wrecked dashboard. Her head, pressed into the steering wheel with the airbag that had failed to deploy, was slightly deformed from the impact and twisted into an unnatural position. But the girl's bloodied face still glowed with her characteristic mocking smile.
"The Mona Lisa of the digital age... A study in a deep-red tones," suddenly occurred to Alexei, who until that moment had been staring blankly at the horrific result of the accident. Onlookers began to gather around. The buzzing silence in the programmer's ears was broken by the growing excited shouts and clicks of cell phone cameras. He frowned slightly, looked into the void, put his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt with a familiar movement, and walked toward home.