Under the Grit

Cigarettes out the Window

The night air was cool and crisp as Arthur's truck rumbled down the nearly empty streets. The city lights glowed faintly in the distance, casting soft shadows across the road. Evangeline sat in the passenger seat, her hands resting in her lap, fingers lightly tracing the edges of her dress. The hum of the engine, steady and low, filled the silence between them, broken only by the occasional bump in the road. Outside, neon signs flickered in the windows of closed shops, and streetlights illuminated patches of the dark road ahead, casting a soft glow through the windshield.

Evangeline's gaze wandered out the window, watching the world blur by in streaks of muted color. Her thoughts swirled with everything that had happened that night—the argument with Ben, the tension with Arthur, and the odd sense of relief that came with riding alongside him now. The warmth from the truck's heater mixed with the crisp autumn air that seeped in through the cracked window, creating a strange sense of comfort despite the night's chaos.

Arthur's hands gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles faintly visible in the dim light. He was quiet, his profile relaxed but his eyes focused on the road ahead. The rhythmic tapping of his fingers against the wheel was the only sound that broke the stillness inside the cab.

"You're awful quiet," Arthur remarked after a few moments, glancing over at her briefly before returning his attention to the road.

Evangeline smiled faintly, though her thoughts still lingered on the argument with Ben. "Just... thinking," she murmured, her voice barely louder than the hum of the truck.

Arthur glanced at her again, his brow creasing with concern. "You sure you're okay?" he asked gently, his voice cutting through the soft hum of the truck's engine.

Evangeline blinked, pulling herself from her trance as she stared at the taillights of Tilly's car ahead of them, the red glow almost hypnotic as they followed closely behind. She hadn't realized how zoned out she'd been, the events of the night weighing heavily on her mind.

"Yeah," she replied softly at first, almost on autopilot, before catching herself. She let out a small sigh, shaking her head. "Actually... I don't know. I don't know why Ben's acting the way he is. It's like he's always on edge lately, always upset about something, but he won't talk to me about it." Her words tumbled out faster than she intended, a nervous ramble as she fidgeted with her necklace, the pendant cool against her fingertips. "I feel like I'm always doing something wrong. I don't even know why he got so upset tonight, but it feels like I'm constantly apologizing for things I don't even understand. And now, I'm here with you, and... I feel guilty for that." She paused, her voice catching slightly as she looked down at her lap. "I don't even know why. It's just a ride, but it feels like I'm... I don't know, doing something wrong just by being here."

Arthur was quiet for a moment, his eyes fixed on the road ahead as he listened to her. The distant glow of Tilly's taillights bathed the inside of the truck in a soft, red hue, adding to the weight of the silence between them.

He finally spoke, his voice calm and steady. "You're not doin' anything wrong, Evangeline. It's just a ride. You can't feel guilty for everything, especially if he's not talkin' to you about what's botherin' him."

She looked over at him, her fingers still wrapped around the pendant. His words were simple, but there was something in the way he said them that made her want to believe it.

"It just feels... complicated," she murmured. "Like no matter what I do, I'm not enough, or I'm making things worse."

Arthur glanced at her again, his jaw tightening briefly. "If that's how it feels, maybe the problem ain't with you."

Evangeline didn't answer right away, her mind swirling with thoughts. She wanted to defend Ben, to explain away his behavior, but something in Arthur's words struck a chord. Maybe the issue wasn't entirely hers to fix.