It started playing the
moment she plugged in the
aux.
Her friend didn't say
anything for the first
thirty seconds — just
let the song breathe,
then let the next one
start. After the third
track, they both knew.
Nobody reached for the
phone.
Sometimes grief travels
better in someone else's
silence than in your own
explanation. On the drive
home, she rolled down
the window and let the
last chorus disappear into
the trees.