Rhys pov
The gala had mostly cleared out by the time I pulled the car around, Kayla's aunt having left earlier to handle something at home, which left me the easy job of driving Kayla back myself.
The night had gone quiet in a way that felt like relief after everything, the road empty, streetlights sliding past the windows in slow, steady rhythm. Kayla sat beside me, quiet too, her head resting lightly against the window, eyes half closed.
Neither of us said much. There was nothing that needed filling, no awkward silence to smooth over, just the kind of comfortable quiet that only happens between people who've stopped performing for each other.
"Thank you," she said eventually, soft, breaking the silence without disturbing it. "For tonight."
"Anytime."
She hesitated, glancing over at
