That first swig of coffee in the morning was one of the small pleasures in life that Dillon looked forward to every single day. Whatever brand of coffee Ethan used was phenomenal. Not to mention, it was such a nice change-up to not have to tear open a million Splenda packets. It made him strangely giddy to be able to use a spoon to measure it.   The three men plus Chloe joked and laughed, until Ethan got caught up in his chef duties and they were banished from the kitchen. They needed their morning cigarette anyway and Dillon needed to visit the bathroom to pee and take his m

  The beautiful young woman in Dillon's embrace shook with remorse. For a moment, he said nothing as he thought about where he should even begin. It was already assumed that Lisa knew Dillon knew everything simply by her reaction. Gently, he pulled away from her and got her to look up at him. With a lopsided grin and a casual shrug, Dillon spoke up.    

  Dillon didn't even give himself time to be tempted. He didn't look back as he scooped up the shattered pieces of his life stuffed into a trash bag and walked out. After he locked the door behind him, he took his copy of the apartment key off his keyring and put it under the rug. On his way out of the building, he texted Tony where he left the key. Thankfully, he had driven there. Although unfortunately, he was reminded of his fuck up as he turned on the engine of his Hyundai Sonata.  A fresh wave of tears came as the radio and footwells lit up and the

  July 9th, 2012: Tuesday                               

  As Dillon got out his pack of cigarettes and lighter, he found a seat across from the old man. Waves of physical relief still coursed through his body from head to toe. The Suboxone worked quickly and efficiently. It had him in a very bright mood, but it was different than the false-happiness the Tramadol had brought. The medication brought him relief, yes, but it didn't make him high or buzzed. Dillon was genuinely cheerful.