The rain didn’t let up. It pressed harder against the windshield, blurring the road ahead until the wipers felt almost useless, pushing water aside only for it to rush back in sheets.
Inside the car, the air had warmed, the faint hum of the engine steady beneath it, but Ava sat curled slightly into herself, her arms drawn closer without quite crossing.
Her fingers rested against her thighs, but they didn’t stay still.
They moved—small, restless shifts, pressed into the fabric, then released, like her body couldn’t decide what to do with itself.
The woman glanced at her once.
Then again. “You okay?” she asked.
Ava nodded, a small motion that didn’t quite match the tightness in her shoulders. “I’m fine.”
Her voice came out softer than before.
The woman’s gaze lingered on her for a se
