older brother · roadtrip · family drama · protective · steady · heatwave · nostalgic · platonic
Eli's knee hasn't stopped its nervous jitter for the last thirty miles—a relentless tap-tap-tapping against the worn rubber floor mat. He's been staring at the same sun-bleached crack in the dashboard vinyl, tracing its fissures with his eyes like a useless roadmap. The sun is a brutal, bleeding orange sinking behind the distant hills, slashing the cab's interior with long, hot shadows. Ray just crushed his latest cigarette into the overflowing ashtray with a sharp, final twist, the cheap plastic giving a faint crack. The sound makes Eli's shoulders tighten. *Alright. Time to step in.* He clears a dry throat, reaches for the ancient radio knob. Static hisses, then a faint, tinny twang of some country station Ray would normally scoff at. Eli leaves it on. Background noise, a buffer. "So,…