The flirtation in his voice was undeniable. She blushed and raised her cup. I felt a hot, unpleasant tightness in my chest and took a quick sip of my drink even though it wasn’t my turn.
“Hey,” I hissed a few minutes later, when everyone else was wrapped up in a story Ethan was telling. “You were being a little aggressive there, don’t you think?”
He pursed his lips. “What do you mean?”
“You were poking at Isaac.”
“I was making conversation.”
“You accused him of getting his job through nepotism.”
“Well, he did, didn’t he? And I didn’taccuse.I’m scoping it out. If it worked for him, it could work for me.”
“Whatever. Just play nice, okay? I want him to have a good time.”
He stared at me. “Fine,” he finally said, his gaze flicking to Amy. “It’s a party. We should all have a good time.”
My chest tightened, but I tried to ignore it. Instead, I looked over to Isaac, concentrating on his familiar features. He caught me looking and smiled.
The tightness in my chest released. Good. This was going exactly how I wanted it to. I sipped my drink.
At some point, we devolved into an intense conversation about the right order in which to watch Marvel movies. “Is it like Narnia?” Abby asked. “Strong feelings of publication date versus author’s preference?”
“What’s author’s preference?” one of the other girls asked.
“Like, chronological for the world.”
“Sure,” David said. “You could do chronological and start withCaptain America, which is set during World War II.”
“Isn’tWonder WomanWorld War I, though?” Ethan said.
David stared at his older brother. “I can’t talk to you ever again.”
“What?” Ethan looked blankly around at the group. “What did I do?”
I turned to Tyler. “Do you have a strong opinion? As the resident comic expert?”
Tyler stiffened, his body momentarily as tense as I usually felt at parties. Then he returned to his normal, charming self. “Whichever,” he said. “I’d probably go by release date.”
(“I thought you’d beproudof me,” Ethan was saying mournfully to his brother. “I’m so impressed I knewWonder Womanwas about World War I.”
“Wonder WomanisDC,you idiot,” David said.)
Tyler had told me he’d stopped telling people he read comics. But superhero movies were so mainstream, and my family made me so comfortable, I hadn’t thought twice about what I’d said—I’dalmost wanted to show off Tyler’s knowledge. But Tyler had spent so much time tailoring how he appeared to other people. Maybe he didn’t like showing any aspect of himself he hadn’t preapproved for display. I’d made him uncomfortable.
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I know you don’t like... sharing stuff about yourself.”
He shot me an unreadable look. “I don’t mind.”
Obviously he minded. He minded other people’s opinions so much, he’d learned to hide away his hobbies and blend in with the popular crowd. But maybe, like me, he was trying to let down his walls more.
Isaac landed on hey. “Hey, Shira,” he said with a small, almost shy smile in my direction, and a bubble of delight welled up in my chest. He had pickedme.That had to mean something, didn’t it?
I leaned over to clink my plastic cup against his. “I like your sweater,” I said, the compliment, like eye contact, made easier by the alcohol.
He smiled in return. “I like your dress.”
I sat back down, beaming to myself. Tyler frowned at me as the game and conversation moved around the circle. “You shouldn’t just reuse compliments,” he said under his breath, so only I could hear.
