Nicotine

1

I've always inhabited dark alleys and leaned on the side of dingy buildings, invisible to the naked eye.

It was when I was in the middle of my fifth cigarette when I saw you.

You stood under the glow of a streetlamp, clutching a polka dot umbrella over your head. It was raining.

But how could no one notice someone like you; with your bright presence in your yellow coat and red boots that immediately caught my attention, leaving me to wonder how I had caught yours, as I hid in the shadows with a glowing ember hanging from my mouth.

You asked for my name.

I told you I was Levi. I asked yours.

You said your name was Mia.

I took another couple puffs before you said something again.

"That will kill you, you know."

I did know that, but it didn't matter that much to me. We would all die at some point; I'm just shortening the wait.

I told you all this, but you just smiled softly in return. Why, I didn't really know. Most people would shake their head or scorn at me, but you just smiled.

"Do you want a coffee?"

You tilted your head slightly to the side at my question. Yes, we barely spoken any words to each other; yes, we've only just met; and yes, I didn't know a single thing about you. But I wanted to know every little insignificant thing about you; what makes you tick, what makes you laugh, what makes you cry.

So you said yes to coffee and I tossed what was left of my cigarette, before we went into the café just next door.