“I see,” I said disbelievingly.

“This is a long-term project,” she added dryly. “I’d never hop the border and be like, ‘Surprise!’”

“You have no idea,” I said grimly, “how many people have asked me if they could do that.”

“Anyone take you up on it?”

“No. Lotta joke marriage proposals, though.”

Cleo gave a wry smile. “How does that make you feel?”

For a rare second, I felt my voice go hollow. “Terrible,” I whispered.

Cleo nodded.

I blinked and sipped my beer. “I don’t mean to be uncharitable. I know America’s fucking weird right now. It’s harder to live without papers here—you should know that, by the way—but that’s not what people are asking about. People say what they need to say.”

A grin moved around Cleo’s lips. “You can be actually uncharitable if you want.”

That made me laugh. “I’d rather not, thanks. Hey, if you can get up here, bienvenue.”

“Thanks. I got another bus for tomorrow. It’s in the morning. Really glad you could put me up. You wanna walk and get food?”

“Lemme hit the ladies room.”

The bathroom graffiti’s another bizarro balm in this place. They never paint over it, either. Choice examples:

DON’T DO ANAL IF THEY WON’T EAT ASS

YOU’RE NOT HIS FUCKING MOTHER

TAKE BETTER CARE OF YOURSELF, MY FRIEND, followed by OH HALLELUJAH OUR PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED WE HAVE BANANA BREAD (?)

LEARN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BAD DICK AND GOOD DICK, which someone had then crisply crossed out with one line of a black Sharpie—but only one line; it was all still legible.

The riverfront was dark now, wind gusting along the water. Cleo was startled by the skyline. “Oh shit, Detroit’s there. Like it’s right there.”

“You didn’t notice on the bus …?”

“I was sleeping.”

Cleo didn’t walk so much as bounce, legs flying out in front of her. Her coat flapped in the breeze.

At home we ordered pho and sat in front of the TV. We idly talked more, but we also just ate and watched in silence. It felt nice, like how my sister and I used to spend evenings. I made up the couch for her to sleep. She burrowed into the pillows and pulled the blankets up and reached for her phone. Cleo looked young as she did this, younger than me for the first time since I’d met her. She looked so pretty and innocent, and it was then I understood that in a very particular way she had managed to preserve herself. It made my heart split open.

I made to say good night and go to bed. Then I stopped. “Okay, tell me,” I said. “Do I not congratulate you on your sobriety?”

She looked up from her phone and flashed me a wolfish smile. “I don’t trust anybody with it.”

“No?”

“Nope.”

I put my hand on my bedroom door. “Cool.” Go to sleep, loser.

“You know what I hate most?”