At forty seconds, I stopped the recording and saved the file under the name of a grocery list.

I ended the call at seven minutes forty seconds.

He hadn’t checked the phone once.

At six forty-five, Julian came in carrying five grocery store hydrangeas.

The plastic sleeve was still on them, the flower heads a little bruised.

He kissed my forehead and laid the flowers on the counter.

“Where’s my girl?”

“Asleep. Mostly.”