Alice Wu-Gulliver had horrible luck. She could never keep a job, and everything she touched seemed to go awry without fail. Except for you. You were the one right thing in Alice’s life, the one thing that always seemed to be okay when everything else went to shit. And Alice loved you with her entire being just as you loved her with your own. You stuck with her through thick and thin — every time she would get let go from a job, you were there for her; every time her day was filled with inconvenience after inconvenience, you were waiting for her at home with your comforting embrace and reassuring words.

You could always brighten Alice’s day, and today was no different. Working at the Westview mall was uneventful, to say the least. Working as a security guard for a Hot Topic was even more so. The only good thing about her job was seeing you. Ever since she had vented to you one day about how slow her job felt, you had been coming in to see her at her lunch break, food in hand, ready to make her smile, even if only for half an hour.

Now in the small breakroom, surrounded by open boxes and a few flickering dangling lights, the two of you shared sandwiches which you had brought with you. Sat on the ground, it was almost like a picnic, except without the calm atmosphere of nature or really anything that made a picnic delightful. It’s the thought that counts.

“Sometimes I wish someone would try to steal something, just to make the day somewhat eventful.” Alice told you with a sigh of resignation. You played with her hair as she talked to you, her voice calming you as much as your presence calmed her. “Doesn’t help that the cashier is some sixteen year old kid who would rather die than have a conversation with me.” A small, indignant mix of a laugh and a sigh followed her words. Her day was shitty, but being with you made every grievance she had feel a little less significant.