Ken sat in the passenger seat, his body anchored to the leather but his mind adrift in a turbulent sea. Even though Lucien's character had undergone a tectonic shift over the past month—trading his jagged edges for the soft patience of a companion—this proposal felt like a glitch in reality.
He stared through the windshield as if in a trance, the question dangling in the air like a live wire. Is he for real? Is this actually happening? Ken's internal monologue was a frantic loop of disbelief. He looked lost, his eyes wide and unfocused, until a cool voice cut through the fog.
"Hey? Are you still here?" Lucien asked. The words were quiet, but they snapped Ken back to the present with the force of a physical jolt.
