“We’re so sophisticated now,” he said. “When did we get so responsible?”
“They warned us that would happen.”
“They tried.”

She laughed at that. Her fingers brought the cigarette to her lips, slipping it between them long enough for one pull. She held the smoke in her lungs, keeping it safe for that one moment, and then let it seep out.

“We were better off back then,” she said, watching the smoke drift away.
“I don’t know. I thought things would be better out here.”
“Are they?”
“Not really.”
“Except now you realize that every day for the rest of your life is going to be exactly like this. That the big turning point is over and it was one big fucking disappointment.”

They let the air hang between them for a moment. He gripped the bottle by the neck, swirling the beer inside gently and watching it spiral up the sides of the glass. He brought it to his lips and drained the rest. The bottle fell to land with the rest, clinking together to make room for the newcomer.

“You’re still young.”
“I was born old."