The sun was high, burning through the haze of the city as Sasha sat across from Stella on a cracked wooden bench outside Basil & Oak. They had same place for their lunch breaks,Their lunch break was almost over, but time always moved slower when Sasha was trying to pretend everything was fine.
She stirred her soda with a plastic straw, not drinking it. Her food sat untouched on her lap.
Stella glanced at her from over the rim of her coffee cup. "You've been in a daze all morning. You're not even pretending to listen to the customers anymore."
Sasha gave a faint smile. "They didn't come for me. They came for cheap drinks and dim lights."
"Well, if you keep looking like a ghost, they'll start asking for exorcisms instead of whiskey."
Sasha let out a dry chuckle, then went quiet again.
