“Hey, I’m going to come in a bit later, something came up. Just go in first, I’ve told the others you’re coming.”

  Ever read Zoe’s message, then looked at the time that she had sent it: 8:47. The sign on the inside said that they were open from 9am on weekdays. He wasn't that early... so why wasn’t this Zeus-forsaken automatic door opening? He still hadn’t forgotten his first experience at the convenience store, all those months ago. It was bad enough that he chose to find a different store a couple blocks down from Pagoto's to get his Fem Fresh deodorant after it had run out.

  He lay his hand on the cold glass, flinching slightly as its coldness nibbled at his fingers. A small head popped out from one of the doors inside the building before being joined by the rest of the person. Ever watched as the familiar form of Zoe’s assistant turned a latch, then entered a four-digit code into the number pad on the wall. The automatic doors seemed to almost begrudgingly open for him.

  “Hi,” Ever said, gladly stepping inside, shooting a disdainful look back at the door. “Thanks for letting me in.”

  “No problem, Mr. Thanatosikos.” He shot a look at her; apparently it was sharp enough to make her take a backwards step.

  “Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.” Ever said. “No one’s called me that before.”

  “Th-that’s OK,” she said. She was wearing a blue, disposable mask that covered her nose and mouth like every other time Ever saw her. Her eyes crinkled warmly, telling him that she had accepted his apology. “I’ll just call you Ever then, is that OK?”

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  “Of course,” he replied with a smile.

  She half nodded, half bowed. “Great! Dr. Zoe told us that she was coming in a bit later. Why don’t you come in first?”

  “Let’s go.”

  She turned and walked with Ever in tow. Laughter filtered out from the main waiting room that they turned into. Ever’s eyes momentarily flicked towards the spaces underneath the chairs where there were a few dog ghosts resting. They promptly perked up, tails wagging the moment they saw that someone had noticed them.

  “Well if it isn’t the boyfriend!”

  “Good morning Carol,” Ever said, grinning at the receptionist. Her strawberry blonde hair had grown longer in the two months since he’d met her that day that he first brought Mimi in for a check up.

  There was someone else there that Ever knew by sight but had never spoken to, leaning on the reception desk.

  “Hi, I’m Roman.” The male vet extended a hand towards him, which Ever promptly shook. “Zoe doesn’t stop talking about you.”

  “Really? What does she say?” Ever asked.

  As far as Ever knew, normal people weren’t telepathic, but the way that the three of them looked at each other, he could almost feel the information flowing amongst them.

  “Oh you know, she says that you’re a great guy,” Carol responded first. “She told us about your first date where you couldn’t stop staring at her. I wish someone would only have eyes for me…” she sighed extravagantly, her gaze landing pointedly on Roman.

  “You know it’s unprofessional to date your co-workers, Carol,” Roman said, crossing his arms then looking at his watch. “Sorry I’ve got to run, my first appointment’s at 9:30 and I still have rounds to do.” He looked at Ever. His glasses slightly magnified his dark eyes, in which Ever saw a fleeting expression that was gone as quick as it had come.