Page 26 of Keeping Time

Panel 1 through 2: Denver lights a cigarette, revealing knuckle tattoos on his hands. He looks off to the side of him, smiling around the cigarette butt. He asks, "So how long have you been back in town for?"

Panel 3: Daniel's eyes are closed as he has his own cigarette lit by Denver's hands. The glow from the lighter flame illuminates Denver's fingers and Daniel's cheeks. Daniel answers, "Just over a month."

Panel 4: The boys are sitting next to each other on a steel staircase, looking small against the expanse of the dirty alleyway. Denver's skateboard leans against the stairs next to him, while Daniel's backpack sits on the ground by a stack of wooden pallets. They're both holding their cigarettes, but neither of them are taking a drag, and they're both avoiding eye contact. Denver looks away as he says, quietly, "Oh."

Panel 5: Denver has recovered, and is now grinning as he brings his cigarette to his mouth. He says, "I'll choose to not take it personally that you didn't call me once you got back. My number's still the same, you know!" Daniel is still pointedly looking away as he replies, "Yeah, sorry. I must have lost it..."

Panel 6: A close up of Daniel's eyes as he continues to look away. He says, "To be honest, I didn’t really want to come back. If it’d been up to me, I wouldn’t have."
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