Collide, Ignite

It was a complete coincidence that the boys' schedules picked up some right after Maisie left, but it was one that Reilly was grateful for. It made things a little easier on her, in the sense that it allowed her some time to herself to work out her thoughts. Though in the two and a half weeks that had passed, that part of her mind only seemed to get more cloudy.

Her new position with UCL had started and she managed to settle into it very nicely. To her surprise, she had not seen Owen around campus once, something she had expected since they were both employed there. She had considered the possibility that he was avoiding her, but in truth it was a big campus and it was easy to miss someone.

It had taken awhile, but Reilly finally packed Owen's things into a box. There wasn't much, as she had suspected there wouldn't be--a few shirts, a belt, his toothbrush and razor, some books, and a few other things. Together they hadn't spent much time at her house, so at the very least his stuff being gone wouldn't create a sense of emptiness.

Her hand shook as she reached up to ring the door bell. She hadn't spoken to him since her graduation, not even so much as a text to let him know she would be dropping by to return his belongings. His car was in the driveway, though, so it was only a matter of time until he opened the door. And when he did, the sight in front of her was not what she expected at all.

His hair had been recently cut, so it was a bit shorter than usual, and he had styled it carefully, though that was nothing unusual. His demeanor was relaxed, as opposed to the stressed out version of him that she had grown used to over the last couple months of their relationship. She hadn't known what to expect, but something about what she was looking at made her stomach twist into knots in a most uncomfortable way.

"Reilly," he breathed out after a long moment of looking at her, the look of surprise not fading even a little. "I wasn't expecting you," he said.

She bit the inside of her lip and tried to hide that she was drawing in a deep breath. "Yeah," she said. The single word came out shaky, making her afraid to go on. How could he look so much happier than before when she had been feeling like a bigger mess than ever? "I just, I was cleaning and I found some things that belong to you, and I thought I should return them to you," she said finally, stumbling slightly over the words.

He gave a nod. "Of course, Love," he said. The endearment slipped out so easily and it didn't seem to phase him in the least. Reilly wasn't sure which thing was a bigger shock to her system. "Come in," he finished as he stepped to side so she could move past him.

She went straight for his living room, maybe out of habit, or maybe out of frustration. Or maybe it was a little of both. Either way, she set the box down next to the coffee table and turned to look at him, feeling the tears creeping up behind her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. He eyed her carefully for a brief moment and then offered her a gentle smile. How could be so calm? Why wasn't this affecting him? Had he really been so unhappy with her that being without her was that much better?

Those thoughts and a thousand others raced through her mind as she looked at him. It took a minute but she finally pushed them out of the way so she could speak to him. "I was hoping we could talk," she admitted, and he nodded.

"Of course," he said again. For some reason his calm was grating on her nerves. "Can I get you some tea?" he asked. Reilly shook her head. "Water?" She shook her head again. "Anything?"

Reilly let her head shake back and forth once more. "I don't want anything to drink," she told him. "Or eat. Or whatever else you might think to politely offer me," she went on. "I just want to talk to you about what happened between us."

Owen's face darkened but only for a moment. "I was under the impression the both of us were quite clear on what happened," he said.

She lifted her shoulders and held them for a moment before letting them drop again. "Are we, though?" she asked. "I mean, yes, we called off the engagement," she continued quickly when his eyebrow quirked at her. "Yes, we're not together anymore. I'm pretty sure we're clear there," she agreed. "But I'm talking about before that. I want to talk about what happened before that."

He only hummed in response. Reilly let out a soft sigh. It was taking everything in her not to break down in front of him. "You look really good, by the way," she commented. She tried to keep the bitterness from sneaking into her voice, but was sure she had failed miserably.

This time he let out a chuckle of sorts. "Thank you, Love. I probably shouldn't say this but you look a little worse for the wear," he observed. His tone wasn't malicious, but the comment still rubbed her the wrong way and she couldn't stop her eyes from rolling.

"Thanks for noticing," she mumbled.

They stood in awkwardness for several long moments before Reilly finally let out a slow breath as she pushed her hand through her long hair. Owen looked straight at her and then gestured for her to sit down. She obliged, barely perching on the edge of the sofa at one end. He sat at the other, deep against the back of the couch.

It was killing her that he was so relaxed, so okay with the way everything had happened. Though, maybe it made sense. He'd decided that ending it was for the best, where she had remained in the mind set of working through the problems they were having. He had thought about it, carefully weighed breaking up as an option, and then chosen it, while she had never once considered it to be an option at all.

"So, your friends," Owen broke through the silence. "They're relieved you're finally rid of me?" he asked.

Reilly brought her eyes to meet his. A look of surprise had taken over her face. "I... no," she said, stumbling over her words, caught completely off guard by his question. "I don't think they all even know yet," she added after a moment as she twisted the large diamond ring she hadn't yet been able to take off.

His eyes dropped to her hands. "Still wearing that?" he questioned. "You don't even like it," he commented.

She let her eyes fall closed for a moment, willing away the tears that pushing against the back of her eyeballs. "I told you I like what it stands for," she said.

"Doesn't stand for anything, anymore," he said so quietly she could barely hear him, but her stomach jumped at his words anyway.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked, and then quickly went on to clarify. "Why does it feel like you're purposely trying to hurt me? Where is this coming from? Because it sucks," she told him. Her voice broke on the last word, but she didn't let it stop her. "I know that's not very eloquent, or well spoken, but it's a fact. It sucks. And if you decided that we should end things because you think my friends don't like you, then you're wrong. You're wrong, Owen. Sure, they didn't like they way you've been recently, but they know you're a good person and that you cared about me," she said.

Owen let out a short chuckle and shook his head. "No, Love. That's not why. I came to the decision when I was finally honest with myself about something," he said. Reilly raised an eyebrow at him. "I decided it was best for us end our engagement and our relationship because you're in love with that Niall lad," he said simply.

Reilly's breath caught in her throat and she shook her head furiously. "No," she said quickly. "I'm not," she paused, hesitating momentarily. "I'm not in love with Niall," she argued, but there was no denying that her pulse had sped up at the mere mention of his name.

Owen leaned forward. "Well, you're not in love with me, either. And I'm not in love with you," he said. His words felt like a knife stabbing Reilly right in the stomach and she couldn't even attempt to stop the tears that escaped now. "That's not to say that I don't love you. Because I do. But there's a difference. And maybe we could have made a marriage work, but it gets hard to watch you trust Niall completely and wholly with every part of your life, with things I didn't realize should even need to be entrusted," he said and then shrugged. "So, yes, I love you. And yes, you love me. But sometimes that isn't enough."

Silence settled between them for a few minutes while Reilly did what she could to pull herself together. Her stomach ached and her hands were shaking and her mind was racing and she knew that three weeks after the fact she should have come to terms with the fact that Owen no longer wanted to marry her, but she couldn't stop feeling like it was her fault. That she hadn't tried hard enough. She couldn't stop feeling like maybe her father was right all those times he told her that she wasn't good enough, and that she would never be good enough.

She drew in a slow breath and then let it out. "I wanted to try," she told him, but she couldn't meet his eyes, couldn't bring herself to look up from her hands. "I wanted to make it work with you. I said I would marry you and I wanted to honor that," she went on.

"I believe that's what you convinced yourself you wanted. But Reilly, you have to be honest with yourself. You love things that I don't understand. You make connections and form bonds with people that I can't even begin to comprehend. And you even said so yourself, that you've been looking for answers in textbooks that you're not finding, but you've found answers you didn't know you were looking for in people. And be honest with yourself and with me, I'm not one of the people you were talking about. I may not understand the things you feel, but I'm smart enough to have figured that out."

He paused, but only for a moment. "You and I are so different. We connect on an intellectual level, but you are so much more than that. And in the long run, if we look at the big picture, all those differences are just going to cause us to hold each other back. We both deserve better than that."

It took almost three full minutes after he finished but Reilly finally reached up and swiped her fingers underneath her eyes and gave him a nod. "I didn't come here to try to convince you to get back together," she told him and he nodded. "I just wanted you to know that regardless of Niall being a factor in my life, I still wanted to make it work with you. I made a promise and I wanted to honor it. And I guess maybe I wanted to tell you that it hurts that you decided giving up was easier than trying to work through the problems we were having." She shrugged. "I mean, I agree with what you said at my graduation, that just because it was easy doesn't mean it was right, but I feel like you just gave up when it got a little challenging."

She stood up, and Owen did too, and she finally pulled the ring she'd been twisting the entire time she'd been sitting on the couch off her finger. "And I feel like that means you didn't think I was worth fighting for. And, I don't know, maybe I'm not." She moved toward him and dropped the ring into his hand. "But just so you know, I said no when Niall asked me to marry him five years ago."

Owen let out a heavy sigh. "Of course you did, Love. You're a smart girl," he said.

Reilly looked up at him for moment and then let out a sigh as she made to leave. "Not smart enough, apparently," she mumbled as she walked past him. She didn't stop or look back when he called after her. "Goodbye, Owen," she said as walked through the front door, letting it close quietly behind her.

And that was it. She knew it was going to be the last time she spoke to Owen for awhile, unless of course their professional paths were to cross. It wasn't how she'd wanted or hoped it would go. No, she'd wanted to be calm, to lay out the facts instead of letting her emotions get the better of her. And though placing blame and pointing fingers was going to get her nowhere, Owen's attitude had not done much to help the situation. What he said made sense, but the things he refused to address were the things she needed most to talk about. And he wouldn't give her even that small consideration.

She tried not to think about it as she started up her car and drove away. She drove and drove and drove until she found a salon that was open but didn't look too busy, as she did not have an appointment. She walked in not looking to make a huge change. And when she sat in the chair, she told the hairdresser just a trim, clean up the layers a bit, and maybe a little something else. Just enough that she could feel in control of something in her life. While she was sitting there, she sent an email to confirm an appointment for the coming week.

But when she walked out of the salon, Reilly still didn't feel like she was in control of anything. She drove aimlessly for awhile until her hands started to shake as she gripped the steering wheel. Her mind raced with thoughts she didn't want to think. She tried to push them away, bury them deep in the recesses of her mind but they fought back harder than she could take.

When she pulled up outside of Louis' house, she was still trying to focus on anything other than her swimming thoughts but even the pounding of her heart and the butterflies in her stomach weren't doing much to distract her. Darkness had fallen but Louis and Cara always left the door unlocked while they were awake and home, and had insisted that she feel free to let herself in at any time. And since it wasn't late enough for them to be in bed, Reilly twisted the knob with her hands still shaking and pushed open the door.

A welcome wave of calm washed over her as the door clicked shut behind her. The familiarity of Louis' house tended to have that effect on her, though it didn't slow her racing heart or calm the furious butterflies. Her hands stopped shaking and her mind quieted some. A lack of control still plagued her, but it didn't seem quite as awful as it had outside.

She drew in a deep breath and made her way through the house, toward the sounds of the television that were coming from the living room. She entered the room to find only Louis at one end of the couch and Niall at the other. They both turned to see who had been walking down the hallway and each greeted her with a look of surprise. She couldn't blame either of them; she had been a bit out of touch recently.

After the initial shock wore off, Louis stood and stretched out his arms. "Reilly, my love," he said, wrapping his arms around her and placing a kiss on her forehead. She returned his embrace and gave him a tighter squeeze than usual. He hugged her closer, sensing from her simple action that something wasn't quite right. When she finally let go of him, he held her at arms length, examining her closely. "You look different," he commented.

"Changed your hair," Niall commented immediately. Reilly turned to look at him as she mussed up her newly cut bangs and offered him a smile, but he didn't return it, nor did he stand to greet her. "Looks nice, Darlin'," he added. She smiled at him again, but he still did not smile back.

She deserved that, she thought. She couldn't just go two and a half weeks without making any attempt to contact him, barely making any effort to respond to his attempts, and expect him to greet her happily. Her heart suddenly felt heavy, as though it was sinking into her aching stomach. She let out a soft sigh and she smiled once more at him. This time it was a sad smile and the best offer of apology she could muster at the moment, but he made no indication he was accepting it.

"What brings you 'round tonight, my love?" Louis inquired as he let his hand slid down her arm. He grabbed onto her hand and gently pulled her toward him as he sat down again. She fell wordlessly onto the couch next to him and nestled against his side. "Everything all right?" he pressed as he draped his arm around her.

She only shrugged. "Just really quiet at my house lately," she said. It wasn't a lie. With Maisie having gone back to Boston and Lexie spending more and more time at Harry's, her house felt empty and cold. And lonely. It also wasn't the whole truth, either. But somehow with Niall sitting so close, it didn't seem the right time for her to pour her heart out to Louis.

Louis gently guided her head so it rested against his chest. "Well, I, for one, am glad you're here," he said. "Aren't you happy she's stopped by, Niall?" he asked, but didn't wait for the other boy to respond. "Feels like it's been ages since I've seen you. Gone entirely too long without the light of my life" he finished.

Reilly breathed out a small laugh but didn't say anything. Instead she let her hand rest against Louis' stomach and turned her attention to the movie the boys were watching on the TV. She couldn't tell how far they were into it as it was a movie she had never seen before, but it didn't concern her much. Being in a safe place, under the arm of one of her best friends in the world, was enough for her in that moment.

The three watched the movie in silence. After about thirty minutes or so, Louis shifted and as a result, so did Reilly. His hand slid down her arm and rested on top of hers and it only took a moment for him to notice the absence of what had previously been there. Carefully, silently, he lifted her hand and examined it and then glanced down at her with a questioning looking. She shook her head very gently at him and a small sigh passed his lips. He pulled her even closer to him and slipped his hand inside of hers, locking their fingers together, and kissed the top of her head.

She could feel the tension radiating off Niall the longer she stayed in Louis' embrace, and the movie had barely ended when he practically shot up from the couch and announced that he had to leave. Louis tried to persuade him to stay, but it seemed that he couldn't get out of the room fast enough. He called goodbye from the hallway, along with something about Reilly's hair. They were left in silence as the door shut behind him.

"Weird," Louis commented, shifting again so he was sitting up straight. His action forced Reilly to do the same and his hand fell away from hers. "So what happened?" he inquired, not wasting any time with pleasantries.

Reilly shrugged at him. "I don't know, really. I..." she paused and drew in a breath. "According to Owen he and I were holding each other back. But I just, I don't know, Louis. I told him we both needed to think about what we really wanted and then I didn't hear from him for days. And then he was at my graduation telling me that what I really meant by saying that was that being with him wasn't what I wanted." Louis quirked an eyebrow at her but let her go on. "But that wasn't... I mean... I told him I wanted to try to work things out. He was the one who was taking exception to me being friends with Niall. And I wasn't willing to give up that friendship but that didn't mean I wanted to give my our relationship. But," she shrugged again. "He did, I guess. He didn't feel like I was worth whatever it was going to take. Or that I was worth even a little bit of effort."

Louis let out a loud sigh. "Hang on a moment. Are you telling me that he broke up with you at your graduation?" he asked and Reilly nodded. "At your graduation?" he asked again. Reilly nodded. "Just, hang on. At your graduation," he said once more and Reilly gave him a nod for the third time. "Wow. What a complete, utter prat." Reilly opened her mouth to say something but he didn't give her the chance. "No, don't you dare. He's a real maggot, Reilly, to do that on such a special day for you," he spat.

She breathed out slowly. "I... yeah, I guess you're right. But what's done is done," she shrugged.

Louis sighed again, looking like he wanted to say more, but after a moment apparently decided against it. "You're right. I'm just so bloody mad at the moment." Reilly cocked her head to the side and gave him a look. His face softened. "You're right. No sense in that. Are you all right, my love?" he asked.

Reilly shook her head slowly. "I feel like a failure. A really big one," she told him honestly.

"Oh, Love," he said, reaching for her and pulling her to his chest once again. "You haven't failed at anything. I know how hard you were trying to make things work with Owen. And if he didn't want to try, that's not on you, because you are one hundred percent worth fighting for. I know, because I've spent the last five years of my life fighting for you and you've made my life so much better than it already was. And I'm not just saying that, either." He kissed the top of her head as her arms wrapped around him. "I have so much love for you. I would go to the ends of the earth for you, and I would be absolutely gutted if you ever decided to walk out of my life."

A smile pulled at the corners of Reilly's mouth at the same time the tears started to leak from her eyes. "I love you," she mumbled into his chest.

He kissed the top of her head again. "Can I get you anything? Are you hungry? I can order take away," he suggested, but she shook her head and pulled out of his embrace. He reached out and wiped away the tears from her cheeks.

"I'm just tired," she told him.

Louis nodded. "You're welcome to stay the night here," he offered, and her expression perked up.

"Where's Cara?" she asked. It was getting late and she hadn't seen the other girl since she gotten there.

"She's gone to visit some friends. Won't be back for a few days," he told her.

Reilly nodded. "Yeah, okay," she agreed. "No sense in both of us sleeping in otherwise empty houses, is there? she said and Louis let out a small laugh.

"No, none at all," he concurred. "Guest room's all made. Your toothbrush is safe in my bathroom. You know where to find everything," he said. She nodded again and thanked him as she stood. He caught her hand and gave it a little squeeze as she started to walk away. "Honestly, he's a real git," he said. Reilly tossed a sad smile in his direction and disappeared out of the room.

She collected her toothbrush from Louis and Cara's bathroom and borrowed some of Cara's pajamas and then slipped into the guest bathroom in the hallway. Owen hadn't been wrong when he said she looked worse for the wear. Her skin was dull and the bags under her eyes were heavy and dark. Her hair, though, having just been cut and styled, was her saving grace at the moment, making her look not like the complete mess she felt.

When she was finished in the bathroom, she crawled into the large, comfortable bed in the guest room and turned off the light on the night stand next to her. For hours she stared at the ceiling in the dark, unable to fall asleep. Her thoughts grew darker the longer she laid there. They circled through various subjects, until one in particularly was weighing heavily on her.

It got to the point she couldn't take it anymore and she threw the covers off her and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She didn't bother getting dressed, only slipped her feet into her shoes and grabbed her coat and purse to make her way through the dark house. She grabbed the spare key from next to the door and went to her car. Her body felt like it was on autopilot, and she was barely even thinking anymore as she started the car and drove away from Louis' house.

She reached her destination more quickly than she thought she would, or maybe it just seemed like time had flown by because for once she wasn't letting her mind rule her actions. The streetlights lit the sidewalk as she walked to the door and rang the doorbell. She had real idea what time it was but also she didn't care. She rang the doorbell again, and then one more time for good measure.

Finally the door flew open and Niall stood in front of her wearing only a pair of sweatpants and a very befuddled look on his face. "Reilly?" he said after a very short moment. "What're ya doin' here?" He had obviously just woken up. His voice was gravelly and his Irish accent was more prominent than usual.

"I needed to see you," she told him. "You barely said five words to me at Louis' house earlier, and I know I screwed up by not trying to contact you after Maisie left but things have been hectic and I'm really sorry. I just don't want you to be mad at me, even though I probably deserve it. I probably deserve all your anger and then some because I've done a lot of really horrible things to you. But that doesn't change the fact that I hate it when you're upset with me, even just a little bit. Absolutely hate it." She drew in a deep breath and tried to calm the anxiety she could feel bubbling inside of her.

Niall shook his head. "You shouldn't be here, Darlin'," he said. "You should go home."

Tears of frustration spilled down her cheeks without warning. "Please don't do this. I know you asked me not to push you away and I did, and so me standing here now and asking you not to push me away is really unfair, but please. Please, Niall, don't push me away. Please let me in," she begged.

"Have you been drinkin'?" he asked and Reilly was quick to shake her head. He stared at her for a minute but ultimately sighed and did not move out of the doorway. "I can't," he said. "I can't do this. If you need someone, go to Owen. He's the one you should run to in the middle of the night, not me," he told her in a most defeated tone.

The tears continued to rain down Reilly's face as she shook her head. He gave her a strange look, and she lifted her left hand, pulling back her jacket sleeve as she did so. He stared at her for a minute, like he didn't understand. But then she wiggled her bare ring finger at him and look of understanding crossed his face.

It took a moment, but finally he moved aside so she could step into the house. "Come in," he said. "I'll make some tea."

She nodded as she headed straight for the kitchen. His house was chilly, but she was so warm from all the emotions she was experiencing that she actually welcomed the cold for once, peeling off her jacket as they walked. He brushed past her and filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove, but made no move to sit with her at the table. Instead he stayed where he was and eyed her carefully.

"I've started seeing a psychologist," she offered after nearly a full minute of silence. He quirked an eyebrow at her and then turned to grab mugs from the cupboards. "What was it you called me back at Christmas? A headcase?" she said, forcing a small laugh.

He set the mugs down on the counter with a small clink. "Reilly, come on. I didn't mean that. I was angry," he said.

"'S'okay," she said with a shrug. "It was actually a suggestion Lexie made recently. And I discussed it a little with Liam and he said it didn't sound like the worst idea." She shrugged again. "He actually went to my first appointment with me. Because I was really unsure about it. And it was good. I mean, it went well. It's something I could probably benefit from, I mean." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm babbling."

"Babble on," Niall said, and Reilly offered him a smile. But just like earlier, he didn't return it. And so she didn't go on.

The kettle started to whistle after a few minutes and Niall quickly grabbed it, pouring the hot water over the teabags he had dropped in the cups. He carefully lifted the steaming mugs and carried them to the table and then went to the refrigerator to retrieve the cream. He set it down next to Reilly and pushed the sugar toward her. She stared at both items, waiting for her tea to steep before she finally added them to it.

"I'm leavin' in a few days," Niall told her, finally breaking the silence as he poured some cream into his own tea. She looked across the table at him but he didn't look back and make eye contact. "Goin' home for a bit," he said.

Reilly tried to smother the intense sadness that was creeping through her entire body. "I, uh, thought you guys were working on a new album," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

"We are," he said. "But I've got a good lead on the boys at the moment, so I'm takin' a bit of a break. See my family, some friends. Clear my head."

A few tears slipped out as she nodded. "I feel like this is all my fault," she confessed.

"What's your fault?" he asked.

"Everything," she shrugged. "But mostly you feeling like you need to go to another country just so you can clear your head."

Instinctively, Niall reached across the table and brushed his fingertips against Reilly's. A spark of electricity tingled against her skin and danced up her arm. "I'm goin' home, Darlin'," he said softly. "I'm not runnin' away. Just home."

She nodded but more tears fell down her cheeks. "I hate myself. I know you said I shouldn't, but I do. It's like no matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I just can't get it together. And I just," her voice broke and she sucked in a breath. "I hate myself. Sometimes it feels like the only thing I count on," she told him.

"Don't do that," he said with a heavy sigh as he stood, taking a few steps toward Reilly, and reached for her hand to pull her up. When she was on her feet he drew her to him and wrapped his arms around her. She melted against him, letting her tears fall against his bare chest. Her heart ached but her entire body relaxed in his arms. "It's alright, Darlin'. I've got you," he mumbled, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "I'm here. I've got you," he assured her.

She nodded and let her fingers feel the skin on his back. He was warm, so, so warm, even in the cold house, and he was comfortable. She fit against him perfectly, and she could feel the warmth he was radiating spread through her, starting in her stomach, which was still aching, but she could almost ignore it. Almost.

After several long minutes Niall let out a heavy sigh. "You should probably get home. You should sleep," he said quietly.

Reilly pressed herself closer to him. "Please let me stay," she mumbled.

"Don't do this to me, Reilly. It's difficult enough for me to ask you to leave without you askin' to stay," he said with another sigh.

"Then don't," she whispered, her voice breaking again. "Don't ask me to leave."

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head again. "I can't let you stay." His arms dropped from around her and slumped down a little. "You need time, Darlin'. You have to let yourself heal." Her fingers danced across his skin and he let out a low groan. "Please don't make this harder."

Fresh tears started to fall again. If someone had asked her two months ago, she wouldn't have had any idea that she could generate as many tears as she had in the last month. And as much as she wanted to stay with Niall, to crawl into bed next to him and fall asleep against his warm body, she knew she owed it to him to go when he asked.

Difficult as it was, Reilly finally extracted herself from his warmth. She looked up at him as a chill ran down her spine. "I guess, um," she paused to clear her throat and she reached for her jacket. "I probably won't see you before you go, huh?" she said, but he didn't acknowledge her comment either way. "So, uh, I guess, have a good trip." He nodded at her and she turned to go.

To her surprise, though it shouldn't have been a surprise, he followed her to the door. He was always a gentleman. He reached for the door knob, but she grabbed his wrist to stop him. Niall raised his eyebrow questioningly at her. She opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly her mind went blank. Her hand slipped from his arm and she drew in a breath. "Goodnight," she said quietly.

Niall twisted the door knob and pulled open the door. "Goodnight, Reilly," he said. "Drive safe. Text me when you're home."