As the town lights gathered ahead, she reached across the console and took his hand—unscripted, unmeasured. He didn’t pull it away. He squeezed back, quiet and surprised, like someone realizing for the first time that closeness can happen without a checklist. She held on and didn’t let go.
Back home, her dress hung straight from a hanger. Aaron stood in the hallway, hands at his sides, as if waiting for an assessment result. “She seemed happy,” he said. Evelyn nodded, then asked, “Were you?” The question felt new in the room, like fresh air.