It was so dark and calm. If I moved the world took what felt like hours to catch up, but right now I was only laying still. The car next to us played an upbeat song I couldn’t place and beyond that the indistinct chatter of nothing important. My mouth felt numb and I nibbled for a moment on my bottom lip. A slightly hoarse cough sounded next to me and made me jump. I sighed, trying to focus on the thought forming. He’d been coughing all day and it seemed as if the perfect remedy to this cough, in his opinion, was another cigarette. Almost as if on cue, he reached under me and pulled out a box of cigarettes. Had I been sitting on them?
He flicked open the box and pulled out two with the subtle confidence of someone who’d done it many times before. He handed me one and perched the other on the cusp of his lips as he pulled out a translucent lighter. In the dim light of the street lamps I could see the thick liquid slush around the inside as I gently rolled the second cigarette between my fingertips. Words flowed between us so thick and low, yet I hadn’t really focused on their meaning. I asked questions I had been meaning to ask, but I was so mesmerized by his tone I felt like the gray shifting curlss drifting from his lips. The strong acrid scent of smoke enveloped me and made me feel oddly at ease. I felt so calm.
“It’s getting late.” A loud slurred voice cut through the spell holding me. I sighed in longing to get the moment back, but the time didn’t lie. It WAS late and I needed to get back. I looked over my shoulder to the voice outside the car talking.
“Should I let you drive?” He remarked playfully. I shook my head grinning and woozily got out of the driver’s seat.