The city had grown quiet by the time Elias drove away from Layla’s neighborhood.
The familiar street where he had dropped her off disappeared behind him as the car moved through the sleeping roads. The yellow streetlights passed one by one across the windshield, casting brief shadows across his face before fading again into darkness.
For a long time, Elias drove without turning on the radio,without calling Marcus,without doing anything except thinking.
His hands rested firmly on the steering wheel, but his mind wasn’t on the road.
It was still three blocks away,still standing beneath that streetlight where Layla had leaned toward him with that sudden, hesitant kiss.
The memory lingered longer than he expected. Her soft voice saying goodnight,the way she had smiled before running towar
