“Blood?” I repeated, but he just smiled, gesturing for me to step closer. So I did.
And then he was reaching out to me, sliding a finger under my dress strap and putting the corsage flush against it. Then, with his other hand, he carefully removed the pin before sticking it into the stem and around it. It all happened so quickly, but I was aware of every single detail. His hand against my skin, the way his eyes narrowed, lashes lowering, as he concentrated on fixing it tight. In movies and in life whenever I’d seen this done, it had been awkward, but here, now, the action felt almost sacred in a way I couldn’t explain. Which was maybe why I felt like I had to make a joke.
“Thanks, Corsage Buddy,” I said.
“Safety first,” he replied, his eyes right on mine.
I cleared my throat. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” He turned around, grabbing the power strip. To April he said, “Where do you want this?”
“Um,” she said, looking at me, then him. “By the door.”
“Got it,” he said, walking over and bending down. Hegot it set up, then started plugging in the lights one strand at a time. We stood there watching, the tiny dim room coming alive as they came on, soft and white and twinkling, all around us.
“It’s beautiful,” April sighed. “If I may say so myself.”
“Looks great,” Taylor agreed. “Clearly, you are learning something in college, party planner.”
“You doubted that?” April replied, giving her an indignant look. “I’ll remind you I’ve got a 3.9 this semester. I containmultitudes.”
I glanced over at Bailey, still on the couch, her feet now tucked up underneath her. She looked at the decor but didn’t say anything, instead taking a sip of her beer as she turned back to the water.
“How’s the prep coming?” Jack asked as he came through the kitchen door, pitching a beer can into the bag for empties there.
“You mean the stuff you guys have been absolutely no part of?” Taylor said.
“Not true. We moved the couch,” Vincent told her as he joined us. “And if you are lucky, I will bless you with one of my playlists.”
“No!” Taylor and Jack said in unison. April snorted.
“What?” Vincent said, pulling out his phone. “It’s a dance. I have great dance music.”
“What you have,” Jack told him, “is heavy hair metal. No one wants to dance to that.”
“Heavy metal is great for dancing!” Vincent said. “It’sloud, there’s a beat, and you can scream. What’s not to love?”
“You scream while you dance?” Roo asked him.
“Sure,” Vincent said easily. “Who doesn’t?”
“Here’s what I think we should do,” April said. “Let’s set up the room, then go outside and come in again.”
“It will still be Roo’s living room,” Jack pointed out.
“Yes, but it willfeeldifferent,” she told him. She reached down for a bag hanging off one of the chairs, digging around for a moment, then pulled out a bottle of liquor. “Especially if we take a shot first.”
“Now, I’m in,” Jack said.
“You’re driving,” Bailey said.
“Actually, I’m not,” he told her. “I’m staying with Roo. But even if I wasn’t, I could walk home. Just like you did the other night.”
“That wasn’t my choice,” she said, glaring at him. “It was because you were being an—”
“And we’re going outside!” Taylor announced in an enthusiastic voice, getting to her feet. She gathered up the corsages in her hands, holding them against her. “Everyone, follow me.”
We all traipsed out the door and gathered around the couch, where Bailey still sat, her expression dark. Roo fetched some plastic cups, pouring a little bit from the bottle—rum, I saw now—into seven and lining them up on the porch rail. When everyone took one, only a single cup remained.
