A pause. Then:
He tapped.
“Long-term use may result in dependence. The dose is not the love. The dose is the memory of love. Do you wish to continue?”
Instead, at 7:15 a.m., he dialed 12 — a tiny dose, just to take the edge off. A quiet hug from a stranger in a dream. It worked. For two hours, he functioned. Coffee, email, a walk in the park. But by noon, the baseline of reality felt like sandpaper.
