The car pulled away from the curb without a sound.
Julian leaned back in the seat, watching the building disappear behind them through the dark window. The streetlights slid past in long streaks of gold, each one briefly lighting Lucian's face before fading again.
Lucian hadn't spoken since they left the courier building.
Julian noticed.
It wasn't silence the way people usually used it. It wasn't awkward or uncertain.
It felt deliberate.
Lucian sat across from him with his hands loosely folded, eyes focused somewhere beyond the window as if the city itself were a map only he could read.
Julian rubbed his thumb against the edge of his phone.
"So," he said finally.
Lucian didn't look at him.
"Yes."
Julian sighed quietly.
"You know, that's not really a conversation."
Lucian's gaze shifted toward him.
"You didn't ask a question."
Julian tilted his head.
"Fine."
He gestured toward the road ahead.
"Where are we going."
Lucian watched him for a moment before answering.
