Mir brings out cigarette from the pocket of his cloth.

He uses one of the near by candles to light it up. He takes a puff from a cigar and snorts the smoke out of a flaring nostril.

"I'm listening." Mir says with calm, heavy tone.

"Smoking, huh? Typical detective trait."

"That's fine. This just my panacea to melancholy."

"Remedy for sadness? It's injurious to health."

"I know. But, you know how addictions and bad habits work. You know they are bad, but can't get rid of them. Without it, life feels empty and sad."

Piran nods yes in silence.

The rich benignant cigar smoke eddies coolly down his throat; he puffs it out again in rings which breasts the air bravely for a moment; blue, circular.

"Odd shapes they take" Mir thought.

Piran interrupts the moment "Let me make coffee for both of us. We can talk while drinking coffee. "

"You don't wanna be left alone. Excuse for bringing something you enjoy too? "

" I said "We"? Or should I just make only one for myself?"

"Haha. I love cofee too. In fact, a cigarette with a cofee is a perfect mood."

"We are all good, then. I'll be right back with the coffee. Meanwhile, enjoy your cigar."

"You hate the smoke a lot, don't you? " Mir smirks.

Piran says nothing and gives a smile. Then, leaves for the kitchen.

The nicotine rich smell of the cigar-fire permeated the room, wisps of silver grey smoke curled and danced their way through the thick, hazy air as if excited to escape the place.

While Piran is busy making coffee, Mir went in to a deep meditation of thoughts puzzling through his mind like a cold calculative machine.

Trying to make sense of the situation by adding up all the clues and hints, making strategies for his next moves and plans for investigations.

Many questions bubbling up. Questions about how much he can trust Piran and what Piran may do within the next couple of minutes. Is there a possibility he will attack Mir again? What's his role and how does he fit in this whole situation?

Upon thinking all that, Mir enters the lane of beautiful memories. Beautiful mountains standing in front of him. A beautiful place with a huge blue ocean near by. Jane is holding his hand. They are mesmerised by the beauty of nature. They are on honeymoon. Jane gives a sweet kiss on his cheeks. He is cracking jokes. Jane is the only one who enjoys all his silly jokes. Mir appreciates it and feels extremely grateful. Living each moment to their fullests. They are both so happy.

All of a sudden the air is littered with the chocolatey aroma of coffee.

The aroma of coffee wafted heavily through the house, piercing through the foggy veil of imagination with the smooth, rich scent of roasted beans. The invigorating odor, bridging the gap of

time between nostalgic memory and present day indulgence, drew Mir to the reality.

Piran is back with coffee. Time flied so quickly. Why do happy times fly faster than other times?

Some residual smoke hung in the air, shifting like ghosts in the breeze. It obscured the room like fog in an alley on a humid night.

But, the coffee aroma slowly mixes with it and takes over.

Both of them starts sipping on their cofee. The nutty sweet taste invades the taste buds.

"Continue." Mir says.

Piran asks "How is the taste? You like it? "

"Perfect. Sweet. Loving it."

"Thanks, glad you liked it. Now, on to my srory." Piran takes a sip and proceeds to explain everything.

"Bubble and I broke up peacefully."

"Then, why does she gets creeped out by you? "

" Splitting up peacefully doesn’t mean I don't creep her out."

"Continue."

"I used to work on a hospital. I was a nurse. Also, I used to work as a part timer on butcher shop. Everything was going well. My romantic life with Bubble was going great too. Then, I lost my job in the hospital."

"Why?"

" It was over minor issues. From childhood, I was obsessed with learning about drugs. Was really passionate."

"I see. Then, why didn’t you study to become a pharmacist? "

"We were poor. Couldn’t afford the expense. Also, my dad wanted me to stay with them and do farming. He opposed studying a lot."

"Makes sense. Probably a family tradition? "

"Yes, you can say that, technically. Anyway, later when I got older, I argued with my dad and moved out. My mom supported the decision. Then, I took a course and got the licence to become a nurse."

"I see."

"When I was doing my job as a nurse, I used to secretly study drugs and steal drugs and medicines from the hospital."

"It all makes sense. So, what happened after you lost your job? "

"I was too frustrated and depressed. So, the religious faith gave me hope and calmed me down. And that's why I became too religious and devoted to wiccan. Bubbles found my obsessive religious behaviour too creepy. And, along with the loss of job and everything, I used to lose my temper easily. I wasn’t myself at the time.

That's why she wanted to leave me. "

"And you agreed? "

"At first, I didn’t, but later I thought it was for the best. But, I still care about her. I just want to stay as a friend, at least. "

"That's why you visit the club often? "

"Yes."