Fell In Love In Stages // a matty healy fanfic

Comfortable Silence

The next morning, Dad offers to drop me off at school when Charlie doesn't show up at his usual time. Charlie always made it a point to call if he couldn't make it. Strange.

In the car, I watch the trees blur into liquid shapes as we drive, just like they did yesterday. Hoping to recreate the feeling, I roll down the window. The air feels cool against my skin, but somehow, it's not the same.

"Nice weather today," I say, breaking the silence, unsure how else to start a conversation with him. Dad glances at me, clearly caught off guard, like he'd expected me to plug in my headphones and ignore him the whole way.

"Indeed. It's been a long time since we've had such good weather," he replies, and this time, it's my turn to be surprised. I expected a curt, one-word response, not a complete sentence.

"How's work?" I ask cautiously, still trying to gauge his mood.

"Oh, business as usual," he says, and I stop myself from pressing further, not wanting to push my luck.

Then, unexpectedly, he asks, "How's school?"

"Um... it's alright, I guess," I mumble, unsure how much to share. "But I've made a few friends, so... I'm good in that department."

He goes quiet again, and I steal a glance at him out of the corner of my eye. His brows are drawn together, his expression unusually serious, as though his mind is caught on something he doesn't know how to articulate.

When we reach the school gates, I grab the door handle, ready to hop out, but Dad leans over and pulls me into a hug. A long one.

I freeze, unsure how to react. We stay like that, neither of us saying a word.

When he finally lets go, I clear my throat. "Have a nice day, Dad," I say softly before stepping out of the car.

As I walk away, I can still feel the weight of that moment pressing on me, leaving me both puzzled and strangely comforted.