Some of the best car rides are the ones where nobody says a word and nobody needs to.

Silence between two people is a test most relationships quietly fail. With almost everyone, a gap in the conversation turns into pressure, and somebody reaches for their phone or invents a topic. With a few people it just sits there, and neither of you experiences it as a problem. That ease took years to build and it never announces itself.

Pay attention to who you can be quiet around, since those are usually your actual people regardless of how often you see them. And when the quiet shows up in the passenger seat this week, resist filling it. Let the road noise do the talking for a few miles.