“That was really great,” he said. “I have like a million questions, but I’ll save them for later. My mind is totally spinning.” He laughed at himself, almost giddy.
“Alright,” I said. I was smiling as well, I couldn’t help it, or I didn’t care. Tyler’s pleasure felt like a gift, and I wanted to accept it. “I look forward to that.”
“I hate to tear us away,” Lauren said, “but we should get back to the hotel. Dinner reservation—it’s been so busy in there.”
“You should join us after, when you’re back downtown,” Charles said. “Let us buy you a drink.”
I politely declined—“I wouldn’t want to intrude”—and we said our goodbyes. The rest of the room had emptied out, so there was just the group of us left: Stephen, Safie, Colin, and Priya.
“You were amazing.” Stephen grabbed me, planting a wet kiss on my cheek. If he’d been annoyed with me before, it had passed. “It’s nice some students came.”
“I guess there isn’t anything to do in Sawyer on a Friday night.”
“Come on,” Stephen said. “They obviously love you.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“You were really on tonight,” Safie said. “And very funny. You had the crowd in the palm of your hand.”
“You think so? Some of the parents seemed a little surprised.”
“They should be,” Priya said. “It’s good for them.”
“You nailed it,” Colin said, “you really did,” and he sounded sincere. “And now, where to?”
This led to a debate about the Stacks, the closest bar to campus, but Safie thought it would be overrun. Stephen suggested a place on the northside, but Colin didn’t think it was worth going that far. Priya thought that would be fine, but she said she was fine with anything, really. Safie knew some people from History who were going to O’Reilly’s. Colin liked O’Reilly’s; they had a decent burger. I stood silently as the merits of the burger wereconsidered, thinking about Tyler and how happy he looked. I smiled to myself at the image.
“Okay, it’s decided,” Stephen said. “I’ll take Mark and Safie.”
Outside, the skies had thickened; it looked as if it might snow in the night. As we walked across the plaza, I paused, saying something before I realized I would.
“I think I might just head home.”
Stephen stopped and turned to me. “But it’s your night.”
“I don’t think I’ll be any fun,” I said. “I’m completely wiped out.”
Stephen’s face blanched, holding something back. “Okay,” he said. “Sure. You can leave your car here and I’ll take us back to yours.”
“I can get myself home,” I said. “You go. Enjoy it.”
Safie shot me a look.
“Really, I’m fine.”
“Well, I need a drink,” Safie said. She laced her arm through Stephen’s. There was something protective in the gesture that irked me; she was my friend.
“Are you sure?” Stephen asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Go.”
Servers swooped in quick loops from the side rooms to the center bar and back. It was packed, the feeling augmented by the compact design of the space: low ceiling and dark walls, dimly lit. The noise of crowds deep in conversation and drink reverberated from all directions at once. It was odd to feel such life in Sawyer, and I was overwhelmed in an instant. This was a mistake.
I was about to turn to leave when I saw Lauren stepping from the restrooms.
“You made it!” She gripped a small leather purse. Between two freshly painted lips—oxblood red—her perfect teeth gleamed.
“My plans ended early and I thought—I don’t mean to crash.”
