The questions come rapid-fire after that.
"When do you leave?"
"Do you speak Swiss?"
"That's not a language, idiot."
"How long is the program?"
"Can we visit?"
"Do they have good beer there?"
I answer as best I can, but honestly, half the details are still fuzzy. We'll figure it out. That's what matters.
Eventually, the crowd around us thins as brothers break off to grab drinks and celebrate. I pull Doc close, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.
"You okay?" I murmur.
He nods against my chest, but something feels off.
I scan the room. The party is in full swing now, music playing, guys laughing, someone already challenging someone else to a drinking game.
But no geeks.
"Hey." I tilt Doc's chin up. "Where are the guys? I thought they were coming tonight."
Doc's smile falters. "They're not coming."
"What? Why?"
He shrugs, but it's too casual. Forced. "My news was... a lot for them to process. They said they needed some time."
Oh.
"Doc..."
"It's fine." He says it too quickly. "I get it. We've been living together for two years. They're losing their roommate and their friend, and it's happening fast. They just need time."
I pull him closer, wrapping my arms around him, tight.
"They'll come around," I say. "They love you."
"I know." His voice is small. "It just... sucks. Tonight, I mean."
"Yeah." I kiss his hair again. "It does."
We stand there for a moment, wrapped up in each other, while the party swirls around us.
Then Doc takes a breath and pulls back, something determined in his expression.
"Okay. Enough moping." He looks up at me with a small smile. "You going to miss this?"
I look around the room. Tyler and Ethan tangled together on the couch. At Drew, trying to keep order while secretlysmiling. James and Caleb are bickering over something on Caleb's laptop. At Haru, looking overwhelmed but happy. Jeff and Rex are arguing about whether Swiss chocolate is better than Belgian.
My brothers.
"Sure," I admit. "Yeah. I'm going to miss this."
