Frankie:
The drive back to the city felt different. The air inside the car was thick with the weight of everything we had just faced, and an unspoken tension hung between us. It was quiet—too quiet. The usual hum of the engine, the city lights flashing past the windows, seemed muted, as though the world outside had gone still.
I glanced at Ryan, his jaw set, his eyes focused on the road ahead. He was silent, but I could feel the energy radiating off him, his thoughts clearly a million miles away. I, too, was lost in my own mind, replaying the events of the day—Felicia's sharp words, the unresolved emotions from the cake tasting, and the lingering tension from everything that had happened with Will. We had so much to process, yet neither seemed ready to say anything.
"You don't have to m
