How did we keep in touch?

You really thought you could hide from me but you could not. Everyone gets caught at some point and I knew I’d be caught in this loop as well soon but let’s not think about that because the internet gave me your name and your age and every possible thing I need to know about you. But it missed out one important detail and that’s the thing I found out for myself and that’s where you live.

But I didn’t find that out until three weeks later because you’re an elusive little boy so instead I took to following you on the 52nd day when you left the store and you really weren’t a businessman or a student and you did not wear cologne.

There was no one in the store and there wouldn’t be anyone in the store and I locked up and dropped my clothes at the drycleaners why can’t they ever get it right why and you were across the road with a mask over your face standing together with two other men I recognised.

‘Why do you always buy one?’

‘Oh, sorry,’ you do that lip thing that crushes me and within the sea of bodies moving across the busy intersection I can recognise you when no one else can.

‘It became a habit. Next time I’ll treat you guys too.’

You say but you probably don’t mean that because you’ve never once bought more than one and they look at you as skeptically as I do and you laugh and my lips quiver and my hands twitch and you’re like the sun.

‘What’s with that look? You don’t believe me?’

‘Forget the milk, where’s Lay?’

All three of you are dressed in black and have on masks and hoodies and snapbacks and level gazes but I’m not worried about the other two. You have on your sunglasses and your mask has been pulled to your chin for a while now as you drink from your milk box and your hair is sticking out from under your hood and crinkling and bending and breaking and you look restless by how your leg folds behind your other straight one.

‘It’s been—like—an hour, I swear…’

‘Oh, while we’re waiting, I watched this crime show last night that documents recent crazy stuff going on. The sheet killing thing, apparently there was another murder two nights ago.’

‘Hyung, you have some… weird interests. Seriousl