Chapter 1
Chapter One
Alley-vous
Amie was in a weird mood.
She’d hoped that seeing Ziya would improve her spirits. However, she quickly realized her mistake as her unsettled mood leaked into the friend date, souring the vibes. Not wanting to wait for Ziya to suggest they “give it more time,” Amie had faked a migraine and left early.
Awkwardly carrying the Styrofoam box of fettuccine alfredo Ziya had insisted she take home with her, Amie disembarked the bus and began the walk back home.
She might’ve missed the figure standing in the alleyway next to her building if it hadn’t been for the dim glow of the cigarette he was smoking. Amie squinted through the shadows to see Benny leaning against the wall next to the emergency exit.
They made eye contact. Benny lifted his chin in greeting.
“Hey,” he said sullenly. The man wasn’t the most cheerful person Amie had ever met—in fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever seen him genuinely smile. But she’d also never seen him look this troubled.
“Hi.” Amie slowed to a stop. She didn’t have an established rapport with Benny, unless anyone would consider multiple unanswered texts about a finicky radiator a rapport. But something about his expression made her ask, “Everything okay?”
Benny shrugged. “Just some personal shit.” He nodded at the box in Amie’s hands. “What’s that?”
“Fettuccine alfredo?” Amie popped open the top, as if Benny wouldn’t believe her unless she showed the food. “I was out with my … my ex. Had to leave early. I’m honestly not that hungry, but she told me to take it, so …”
“I’ll take it,” Benny said, holding out a hand.
Amie gave a start. “Oh!” She struggled to secure the top back onto the box, walking over to him. “Sure, take it.”
“Thanks.” Benny accepted the food from her. “I was supposed to eat with my … ex, but she left.”
Amie raised her eyebrows, surprised to find a commonality with her landlord. “You hang out with your ex, too?”
Benny dropped the cigarette, grinding it under his foot. “No. The ex thing is pretty new.” He scowled. “Like, today new.”
“Oh.” Amie resisted the urge to wince. “Sorry.”
“’swhatever,” he mumbled. “Just sucks to get dumped, you know? I tried calling her to see if we could talk, but it went straight to voicemail.”
“That sucks,” Amie said sympathetically. “You just have to give her some time. And you know what they say about fish and the sea.”
Benny stared at her blankly. “What?”
“That there’s … there’s plenty of fish,” Amie said haltingly. “In it. The sea.”
“Oh. Right.” Benny looked like he was regretting putting out his cigarette so soon. “Yeah, I know. I’m already seeing this other girl, and she’s all right.”
“Oh!” Amie said. “That’s … fast.”
“Nah, we’ve had a situationship for a while.”
Amie blinked. “And is the situation … polyamory?”
Benny gave her a strange look. “I was seeing her in secret. That’s why my girlfriend broke up with me.”
Amie didn’t know why she was the one getting the strange look. “Right,” she said, regretting staying in this conversation for as long as she had. “Well—”
“I’d had some close calls before,” Benny continued, unaware that Amie was no longer the sympathetic audience she had been just seconds before.
He jerked a thumb at the emergency exit.
“A couple times I had to send the other girl out this way before buzzing my girlfriend up. It was hot, sneaking around like that.”
Amie was trying desperately to rein in the sour look that was threatening to take over her expression. “Uh-huh.”
“But she finally caught us.” Benny’s mouth twisted as he appeared to fight back a swell of emotion. “Whatever,” he said, his voice rough.
Amie silently counted to five, which she felt was the appropriate amount of time to wait before making her escape. “Well,” she said after the interlude, “I hope the pasta brings you some comfort. I’m gonna head in.”
“Yeah, me too.” Benny moved to follow her out of the alleyway. He stopped as he saw that Amie wasn’t moving.
She looked pointedly at the cigarette butt squished into the pavement. “Are you going to …?”
Benny grunted, crouching down to pick up the cigarette. He began walking to the back of the building.
Amie shifted back and forth, not knowing if she should wait for him to return or just leave. She opted for walking very slowly to the front door.
There was a deep clang as Benny opened the lid of the dumpster, then a louder slam as he let the top fall closed. By the time Amie reached the door, Benny had returned.
“I’m gonna check my mailbox,” she said as they entered the lobby, trying to avoid an awkward walk upstairs. “Goodnight!”
“Night.”
Amie listened to Benny’s echoing footsteps, frowning as her stomach growled.
Darn, she thought. Guess I was hungry.