There's a knock at the door.

I've been baking all day, and there's countless plates of failed cookies around the kitchen. However, I'm slowly getting the hang of it.

"Betty, don't you even think about jumping up there while I get the door."

I walk over to the door and open it, and Shane is stood there with a smile.

"Hey, Madeleine."

"Hey, Shane." I smile. "Wanna come in?"

He nods. "It smells good in here." He looks at the table. "Goddamn, Madeleine. That's a lot of cookies."

"Yeah, I uh, got a little too focused. I really wanted to get them right." I laugh awkwardly.

"What are you gonna do with all these?" he asks.

"Well, uh, most of them are kinda... inedible. But you're welcome to take some home with you."

He smiles. "Yeah, sure. Just tell me which ones are the edible ones."

I laugh softly and start packaging some up for him. "So, uh, how's it been? What have you been doing since... since you were... you know."

"Fired? You can say it." he pauses. "Well, Marnie's been letting me stay for free, which makes me feel all kinds of guilty... I hate not being able to financially help out. The free time without drinking... feels weird, not gonna lie. Like I just don't know what to do with myself. But it's not all bad, I guess. I've been spending more time with Jas, which has been good."

"That's good..." I pause. "Hey... what happened to her parents?"

Shane looks sad for a moment. "Jas is my goddaughter. Her dad was my best friend, we were inseparable since we were, like, 4. We did everything together. I was best man at his wedding, you know?" he laughs softly. "When him and his wife had a daughter, I was so happy for them. But... last year they got into a car accident, and both of them died."

"How is Marnie related to her?"

"She isn't. But my parents were never around, so she raised me. And me and Jas' dad referred to her as Aunt Marnie, so Jas does too."

I pause. "Did you start drinking when Jas' parents died?"

He shakes his head. "No. It had been an issue for quite a while at that point anyway. But it was either that or she'd go into the adoption system, and Marnie said it was better for her to continue being raised in the same town she'd known all her life with people she was familiar with, especially when her whole life had been turned upside down."

"It must have been really difficult losing your best friend like that."

Shane looks up at me in surprise. "You know, most people only say how hard it is for Jas. And it is, I'm not saying she's had it easy at all. But... not one person asked me if I was okay after they died."

"You've been through a lot, Shane. And I don't blame you for drinking. But you're doing amazingly to get yourself out of that cycle now."

He smiles slightly. "Thank you, Madeleine. I've been hesitant to let more people into my life considering how quickly... that happened, but... well, I've realised that... shit happens. It's part of life, and... sometimes it's bad and sometimes it's okay. Sometimes it's really good, too. And if you don't have friends, how do you ever expect for things to be really good?"

I nod. "That's true."

He pauses and looks behind me. "There's a cat eating your cookies."

I turn. "Betty!" I sigh, picking her up off the table.

Shame laughs. "Her name is Betty?"

"Uh, no, her name is Lady Beef Stroganoff, but everyone calls her Betty."

"Right, of course." Shane says. "Is she friendly?"

"She's a little standoffish with new people. And old people. She kinda hates everyone but me."

"I'm sure she'd like me." he replies, going to pet her head.

"If I wasn't holding her she'd be halfway out of the door right now."

"She's a pretty cat." Shane replies. "I don't usually like cats but I could make an exception for this one."

I smile. "She's been my best friend for 5 years now. This is kinda embarrassing but I talk to her... like, a lot."

"I talk to my chickens a lot. Animals always listen."

I nod, before pausing. "Well, she listens about as well as a cat does." I laugh as I place her on the floor. She bolts off to my bedroom.

Shane pauses. "I like you, Madeleine. Not gonna lie, that first night, I kinda thought you'd just be another person trying to force me into recovery. But you didn't. You helped me realise that I wanted to recover."

"I've been around alcoholics." I reply. "Nobody can force someone with an addict to recover. It's the choice they need to make for themselves. I didn't make you come to that realisation, you came to it yourself."

"Regardless, you still saved my life. I would have died there knowing there was more I could have done. And now you cook me eggs and give me cookies like all that's nothing."

"Some people like doing things t0 be nice."

He smiles, hesitates, and pulls me into a hug. "Well, I really appreciate you, Madeleine. I don't know why you decided to be nice to me, or all people, but I'm glad you're in my life."

As soon as he does that, my face flushes. His soft body against mine is making me think unspeakable things.

"Yeah." I smile. "Me too."