I meet Alex on Christmas Eve. An old man at the bar is accusing him of trying to steal his coat. Alex says that he found it on the floor and was just returning it to the back of the man’s chair. My eyes are wet from telling Pete some shit about my childhood while he alternately nodded his empathy and nodded out.

Alex sits down next to me and orders a whiskey. Two cubes. His eyes are wet with fury at being wrongly accused. He says he’s waiting for his friend, Brian, to get off and go to some party. But Brain never shows up.

Later, Alex walks me to a cab, and when he kisses me goodnight a mixture of rain and snow fall around us and it is beautiful.