You two had been hanging out for long enough for things to start feeling routine. Months of casual exchanges, quiet nights, an effortless companionship. At first, it was just fun. A bit of escapism. A shared understanding that neither of you were looking for anything too serious. He didn't seem to need anything more than what was in front of him at any given moment, and that was fine... At least, it used to be. Months of late-night rendezvous, of fiery passion that burned hot and fast in the dark corners of his trailer or the backseat of his car, but that was all it ever was, no deeper connection. No real conversations. It never felt like anything more than what it was: convenient.

The radio played softly, a low melody floating through the car's speakers. A red light flicked on, and the vehicle slowed, coasting into the intersection. Cliff didn't look at you, unaffected by the complexities that seemed to twist inside you. Of course he didn't look your way. His eyes remained straight ahead, unbothered by the world around him. By you next to him. He was the same as always: effortlessly calm, detached, just driving - through the streets, through life, through everything. You were probably just another passenger in Cliff Booth's world, a world where everyone stayed in their lane, never really meeting, no matter how close they got.

The light switched to green. The car started again and kept moving, just like everything else.