The Ultimate Return of Carlos

75

Carlos stared out the window, his thoughts still swirling from the conversation they’d just had. The tension between him and Olivia was thick, the weight of everything that had been left unsaid hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. Outside, the abandoned parking lot stretched out in all directions, desolate and empty, a reflection of the emptiness that seemed to have settled between them.

He shifted in his seat, glancing over at Olivia, who had her hands still gripping the steering wheel, her knuckles white. She hadn’t spoken since pulling over, and the silence between them was becoming unbearable.

Finally, Carlos broke the silence.

“This where we’re staying tonight?” he asked, his voice cutting through the stillness like a sharp knife. His eyes scanned the lot outside again, taking in the overgrown grass, the cracked pavement, the distant silhouette of a rundown building. It looked like a place where no one had set foot in years.

Olivia didn’t respond immediately. She exhaled slowl