Confined Spaces

The interior of Julian’s car was a dark, suffocatingly quiet vacuum. The heavy doors sealed out the roar of the storm, leaving only the muffled, rhythmic drumming of the rain against the roof and the low hum of the luxury engine. It smelled of expensive leather, sharp bergamot, and the lingering, electric scent of ozone.

Caleb sat rigidly in the passenger seat, his wet clothes clinging uncomfortably to his skin. He stared straight ahead at the rain-streaked windshield.

Julian sat behind the steering wheel, his long fingers drumming an impatient, erratic rhythm against the leather. He reached over and cranked the heat up. The sudden blast of warm air felt glorious, but it only served to shrink the space between them. The cabin felt maddeningly small. Every time Julian shifted, his suit jacket brushed against the center console, drawing Caleb's hyper-aware attention.

For five minutes, the silence was agonizing. Caleb hoped, foolishly, that they might just wait for the tow truck without further incident.

But Julian could never leave well enough alone.

"I saw the syllabus you approved for the spring semester," Julian murmured, his gaze fixed out the window, his tone laced with casual cruelty. "It’s remarkably sentimental. Do you plan on actually challenging them, or are you just going to hold a drum circle and ask them about their feelings?"

Caleb squeezed his eyes shut. His hands curled into tight fists in his lap. "Julian, please. Not tonight."

"It’s pathetic, really," Julian continued, ignoring the plea, his voice dropping into a low, grating register that scraped directly against Caleb’s last nerve. "You’re so desperate for the students to like you. You soften the curriculum. You smile and nod and let them walk all over you. You treat teaching like a popularity contest because you’re too terrified to demand respect."

Julian turned his head, his dark eyes locking onto Caleb's profile in the shadows. "You let everyone walk all over you, Caleb. It's why you parked like a coward, and it's why you teach like one."