“He stood halfway down the porch from the tub so the others wouldn't have to smell the cigarette smoke and lit up. He turned the cigarette between his hands, dimly aware of the others' laughing conversation, more aware of the taste in his mouth. He ran his tongue along his teeth, wondering what to think.
In the end the cigarette was enough to tip the scales. Andrew smelled of cigarette smoke and whisky the night he gave Neil a key to his house and told him to stay. Neil was always going to carry his past with him, but he didn't have to be weighed down by it. With enough time he could smooth the wretched edges out and replace his triggers with better memories.
Andrew came up alongside him and set the bottle of scotch at his feet. Neil slid his cigarettes across the wooden railing toward him”
The King's Men - Nora Sakavic
