“Have you seen George?” she asked.
“No, I haven’t,” I replied.
“I went looking for him, and I couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“What does he look like?” Connor asked her.
“He’s tall, and he’s wearing a denim coat with pins on it, and he has long brown hair,” she told him.
“I saw him,” Sam interjected. “He left with a skinny dude out the back alley.”
“See? He’s probably getting something to eat. He’ll just meet us at your place later,” I reassured Vail. “Nothing to worry about.”
Vail, however, remained unconvinced.
“George wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” she insisted, narrowing her eyes at Sam, who was already engrossed in conversation with Ivy.
“He would if he had a goodreasonto,” I told her, hoping she’d catch my drift. He probably was following a lead.
“We have to get the gear out,” Diana told Connor. “Wanna bring the van around?”
“Sure thing. Lake after?” he said, and Diana nodded. Connor glanced at Vail and me, asking, “Do you two want to join us at the lake for a mini after-party?”
Vail looked like she was about to decline, and I was about to as well.
“I don’t know,” I said. “We might be—”
“It’ll be fun,” Connor insisted, smiling. “Nothing too crazy, just casual.”
“Okay, maybe we could come for a bit,” I said.
Vail and I each grabbed another drink from the bar while the band loaded their gear into Connor’s van. As we waited, I took a slow sip of my drink, forcing my focus elsewhere. The lake would be open and less crowded. Easier to breathe. Easier tocontrolmyself. But then spending the night surrounded by so many humans, with so much temptation, made my stomach coil.
Vail’s expression tightened as she drank. “I think this is a bad idea.”
I sighed. “It’s a lake party with humans. What could go wrong?”
“It’s open. Exposed.” She levelled me with a look, her tone edged with impatience. “And I have a bad feeling about George.”
I scoffed. “You’re still like this, huh? Still playing it safe, still worrying about every little thing.”
Her jaw tensed, but she didn’t rise to the bait. “I’m being smart.”
I folded my arms. “No, you’re being boring.”
Vail exhaled sharply, rubbing her temples as if I were already exhausting her. Maybe I was.
“I’m not doing this with you,” she muttered, turning away.
But I wasn’t finished. Everything I’d choked down came rushing back, bubbling over. “You know what your problem is? You’re always so afraid to live. We have all this time, and you want to spend it hiding?”
That got to her. Her head snapped back toward me, eyes flashing with something between anger and disbelief. “You really haven’t changed, have you?”
That stung. More than it should have.
But instead of answering, I just smirked and ordered another drink.
Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all.
