The car stopped diagonally across the road, dozens of meters away. Joseph hugged Jaylene's soft body in the quiet winter night in the small county town of North Canton Mountains, in the ancient alley, feeling as if they were in an age-old desolation.
As he drove to Grandma's house, he stopped his car at the courtyard entrance. She unbuckled her seat belt and got out of the car, turning to him and saying, "There might not be any hotels in town, so you should probably go back to the county."
He nodded and, as she got out, asked, "What time are you leaving today? Why don't you ride with me instead of taking the train?"
"No need, my mother and I have already booked train tickets. You can just drive back by yourself, don't worry about us."
Jaylene thought she didn't need him to worry either. If her mother knew she had dinner with Joseph so late at night, who knows what she would say about her.
Once Joseph's car had left the alley, Jaylene pushed open the courtyard door and went in.
