Page 37 of Joker

Something shifts again between us. Not uncomfortable. Just…real.

We drive in silence for a while after that, but it doesn’t feel heavy anymore. It feels like something settled into place.

Eventually, Joker signals and takes an exit. “We’re stopping,” he says.

My body reacts before my brain does. I grab the wig pulling it and the cap back on. Tension spikes sharp and immediate. Public. People. Exposure.

I sit up straighter, my eyes already scanning the gas station ahead, the dim lights, the cars parked near the pumps, the few figures moving in and out of the building. “I can wait,” I say quickly.

“You need anything?”

“No.”

He doesn’t argue. Doesn’t tell me I should stretch my legs or use the bathroom or get fresh air. He just nods. “Alright.”

That alone eases something in me.

He pulls up to a pump and kills the engine. “Stay here,” he says.

It’s not a command. It’s a statement.

I nod.

He gets out, and I watch him through the windshield as he moves around the truck. He doesn’t look at anyone directly, but I can see the way his attention shifts, the way he positions himself without making it obvious.

He’s aware of everything.

The people at the other pump. The man near the entrance. The car that just pulled in.

He doesn’t hover. He doesn’t make a scene. He just exists in a way that makes it very clear that anyone paying attention should not get too comfortable near this truck. And somehow, that makes it easier to breathe.

I keep my eyes down as much as I can, pretending to adjust something in my lap, my heart still beating too fast as people move in and out of the store.

Nobody approaches. Nobody looks too long. Nobody notices.

When Joker comes back, he opens the rear door first.

Lexi stirs immediately, her eyes fluttering open, confused and groggy.

“Hey,” he says, voice low.

She blinks up at him, clutching Bunny tighter. “Where we?”

“Stopped for a minute.”

She frowns, still half asleep. “Okay.”

He reaches in and hands her a small juice box without making a big deal out of it. “Drink that.”

She takes it automatically, still blinking.

No fuss. No cooing. No over-explaining. Just…handling it.

I watch the whole thing like I’m seeing something I don’t quite understand.

He closes the door, walks around, and gets back in.

Lexi sips her juice quietly, still waking up. “You funny,” she says suddenly.