Every day he’d visit you, landing on your balcony and muttering a shameful ‘may I come in.’ as if he were embarrassed. He’d stay a couple hours, ranting and pouting like the petulant child he was before finally calming in your company.

It was the same charade this night, he dropped onto the railing, smoothing the nonexistent wrinkles in his suit to give his hands something to do.

“May I come in?”