KOOKIE:
The drive is quiet, save for the soft hum of the engine and the occasional exhale from Elias. But I can’t stop looking at him. The way his knuckles clench around the steering wheel, the slight furrow between his brows, the sharp line of his jaw. He’s tense, but still here—by my side.
I keep watching him out of the corner of my eye, and I can’t hold back anymore.
“Why did you come after me when I left?” I ask quietly, eyes still fixed on him. “Why not when I was still in the house?”
He doesn’t answer right away.
His jaw tenses further, and his grip on the wheel tightens just a little.
“I didn’t want to make things worse,” he says eventually, his voice low. “I felt like... if I stopped you in the house, it would lead to another fight. You were upset. Hurt, and I didn’t want to
