Finally stopping at Cillianâs car, Rosette frowned. This was it, the one thing that would finally get her out of this place,if only for a little while. Rose had thought about leaving St. James many times since her arrival but she was never serious. They were just random ideas throughout the day or thoughts that kept her awake at night, along with the snores of her fellow patients. Rose leaned down, sticking her head through the passenger side and taking a good look before finally getting in. âWell, Iâm sorry.â Rose huffed, her tone making it clear she wasnât sorry in the slightest. âThis is all justâŠâ too much? Terrifying? A terrible idea? Rose allowed her sentence to fall short as they finally took off. She didnât say much of anything now. No random facts about the history of street lights or how long it takes pavement concrete to dry. For the entirety of the ride, Rose sat with her face nearly close enough to the window for the glass to touch her forehead.
Cillian drove in silence, occasionally looking over at his mute partner and the way her eyes stayed glued to the outside. âMissed the land of the living?â he queried humorously, wondering what was running through her mind. Maybe she wasnât looking outside at all, maybe she was concentrated on the layer of grime that had accumulated on the outside layer of glass, the unwashed car probably horrifying the germophobe. Thoughts like these had never troubled Cillian, really heâd only had a passing thought or two during the occasional spurts when he came down with flu, but never much more. He found himself thinking about germs a lot more though, lately, almost as if she was infecting him somehow. He thought of a few choice remarks to say, jokes to make, but none of the appealed and he continued the rest of the drive in silence, pulling up to the street lined with shops without further ado.Â
She was out of the car before he could come round and open the door for her, not that she needed that done for her, Cillian pondered. She was entirely capable. âAlright,â he said as they took the few steps up to the promenade, âtry not to judge me for whatever ludicrous combination of ingredients I decide upon. Iâm feeling a little crazy today,â he joked, the joke itself holding many meanings both in regards to himself and the place theyâd just left.Â















