Brandon's POV
The moment Chloe slid into the passenger seat and pulled the door shut, I felt something inside me finally loosen. Not completely, but enough.
As the engine hummed to life, I drove, the night pressing softly against the windshield. Streetlights streaked past like fading thoughts I no longer wanted to hold onto. For the first time all evening, I wasn't bracing myself for the next disaster; waiting for a shoe to drop.
I was just… here. With her.
For some reason, Chloe looked even more beautiful than she had all night. Perhaps it was the way the tension had drained from her shoulders, or how the city lights caressed her skin and shimmered in her hair as if they wanted to linger. Or maybe it was something simpler—perhaps it was just the fact that she was finally smiling without reservation.
