34

She was just staring at the empty to-go box, running the fork through the frosting that had stuck to the sides of the container. “Hey, Smith?” she said when she finally glanced up.

I was already looking at her.

“Thank you for dropping it,” she whispered.

I wasn’t sure if she was talking about our last date that hadn’t happened or her previous employment. But, when I saw her body slowly start to relax, it no longer mattered.

My mother had once told me, she could always point out a junkie, even the ones who were trying to hide their disease. She could tell from their pupils, the way they turned to the size of pinpoints.

I could do the same with pain.

One day, Alix would tell me about the demons that haunted her, and I’d know the topics I needed to avoid.

And, one day, she’d know why I never brought anyone to Roxbury.

Holding both mugs, I walked through the kitchen and went out the back door, joining Alix in the garden. This was my favorite area, the space that had sold me on this browns