Zoe has never felt weak-kneed relief quite like she does that Monday morning, when Alex sends her the message telling her that he’s fine and he’s been released. She gets the tweet at lunch, after obsessively checking her phone all morning any time she thinks she can get away with it. She’s so relieved that[…]

The firm purpose and conviction that filled Zoe while she listened to Alex’s CD at three in the morning last night lasts right up to the moment she’s sitting alone in the Book and Bean as their appointed meeting time comes and goes. Every time the bell on the door dings, her head snaps up,[…]

It’s almost three-thirty when she gives up on sleep and pulls open her laptop. She puts the CD in, tucks her headphones into her ears, draws her knees to her chest, and lets his voice wash over her. “Hey Zo. It’s about… 4 am. I, uh, well, as you probably know, I left the last[…]