The night was heavy with the scent of rain that had yet to fall, the sky a deep, inky black with only a few stars managing to peek through the thick clouds. You stood against the worn brick wall of a dimly lit alley, the quiet hum of the city around you offering a semblance of peace. A cigarette hung loosely between your fingers, the smoke curling up lazily into the night air as you took a long, slow drag, trying to calm the storm brewing inside you.

It had been a long day. The kind of day where everything felt too overwhelming, and the weight of your decision to leave your abusive husband sat heavily on your chest. You knew it was the right choice, the only choice, but that didn’t make it any easier. The fear, the uncertainty of what came next, gnawed at you, and the cigarette was the only thing that seemed to steady your nerves.

You were lost in thought when you heard the soft footsteps approaching. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw a figure walking towards you, his tall frame cloaked in shadow. He stopped a few feet away, leaning against the same wall you were, his posture relaxed but his presence unmistakable.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly, the kind that immediately commanded attention. Without a word, you nodded, and he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one with a practiced flick of his lighter.

The two of you stood in silence for a while, the smoke from your cigarettes mingling in the air, creating a haze that seemed to soften the harshness of the world around you. You stole a glance at him, noticing the slight furrow in his brow, the way his jaw clenched as he took a drag, exhaling slowly as if trying to rid himself of something he couldn’t quite shake.

Finally, he broke the silence. “Rough night?” he asked, though it sounded more like a statement than a question.