Jimmy’s POV
Elina slid back into her seat across from me, tucking her hair behind her ear like nothing happened. But the faint pink in the corner of her eyes, the way her phone was clutched tightly in her hand, told me she hadn’t just gone to the restroom.
I wanted to ask. I almost did. The words rose, pressing against my teeth. Who were you talking to? Why do you look like you’ve been crying?
But I swallowed them. Instead, I smiled and reached across the table, brushing my thumb over her knuckles. “Are you ready to go?”
Her shoulders loosened, if only a little. “Yeah.”
We left together, but silence followed us into the car like an uninvited passenger. I turned on the radio, hoping to fill the space with something other than her shallow breaths, but she reached out and turned it down
