Yo I'm just messing with you.

Joey Blau looked up.

I'm messing with you. This is my neighbor's dog. Taking it for a walk. I did send you a pic of my dog.

Joey still looked confused.

Got ya! the man with the dog yelled.

They both began laughing.

Look, just text me and maybe you can come over for a beer. You and pickles can hang out.

That sounds great.

See yah around, man.

As Joey walked away from the corner bus stop, he wondered why he felt scared. He hadn't been invited to someone's house in ages. It excited him. At the same time he felt out of his element. He had a routine. He'd not broke it since. Well ever since Carianne left him. She had been the social one. The one who got them invited to dinners and 

parties

. Joey wasn't good at that. He got along with the 

barista

at the 

cafe

. And he got along with strangers who were sitting at the bus stop. But he never went beyond the 

small talk

. All these interactions would lead to people who he saw here and there while he went through his routine. But nobody who actually knew him.

If he died today, none of them would hear about it. They might come to the 

funeral

, had they learned of it somehow. But they wouldn't learn of it. Who would tell them?

When Joey Blau got home he was getting ready to order some food. But then the door bell rang. It had already arrived.

pad thai

with chicken. Spice level 2. The same dinner he'd eaten since. Since Carianne had left.

When the meals came automatically he had liked it. But now he was beginning to not. He now had more time to himself. He began thinking too much. He texted the guy with the dog. He'd like to go over for a beer sometime.

---

When he arrived home the dog ran straight to the water bowl. Sounds of cars rumbled in the distance. The evening sun cast long shadows onto the hardwood. He cherished these moments before putting the music on. The silence before that humanly stimulation flooded the space. These slivers of time he saw a different side of himself. One he couldn't perceive with all the noise. Why had he lied to that guy? The way his face looked. Immense loneliness. He couldn't let him...

But now what? Was he supposed to keep the jig up forever? Was he to go out and find a dog that looked like the picture? He would have to get rid of Suze. He had already told too many lies.

The only thing he could do now was ghost him. He would probably be even more hurt and confused now. But at least he didn't need to be there to see it. The music came on.