“It was silent in the back of the car, with nothing but the quiet hum of the engine and splash of the puddles against the tires as they drove through the rain. It was one of UBA’s huge company SUVS, and Bradley and Laura sat comfortably as they left Times Square on their way over to Cybil’s place hoping to catch the tail end of their company party. They watched the New Year's crowds go by, their fingers intertwined as they rested their hands on the middle seat. Laura rubbed gentle circles on the back of Bradley’s hand, her skin cool and smooth. She peeked over at Laura who glanced back, smiling sweetly, before turning away again to look out the window.
Bradley watched as Laura’s face lit up in flashes of color as they escaped the traffic and sped by street lamps and neon signs that reflected off the dampened street. She liked the way it made her skin sparkle along her cheekbones and around her eyes. There were still a few pieces of confetti caught in her hair that reflected the light, only adding to the myriad of color that she was.
Laura was a quiet passenger. That was one thing Bradley had come to know about her in the last two years they’d been together. Airplanes, taxis, trains: they might chat for a minute or two as they sat down, but as soon as they settled in Laura fell away, into the rhythm of whatever mode of transportation they were on. Her eyes would grow distant, and she’d just watch. Watch the sky out the window, the people standing in front of her, the flash of the tunnel as it flew past them in the subway.
Almost like a trance, she’d fold into herself, disappearing into her thoughts, or the book she read, or the music she listened to. She had a stillness about her that was incredible and grounding, and Bradley thought it was one of the things about her she loved most. If Bradley was the storm, Laura was the eye, the quiet center that held her together.” - X Chapter 2: Live in the Stillness from The Beginning of Everything.
