“Not a fan of the penthouse?”
Penthouse.So that’s what PH stands for. “No, it’s really nice. A lot bigger than I expected. Not exactly my taste though, if I’m being honest.”
“What don’t you like?”
I lean toward him a little. “Between you and me, the decor is a bit tacky. Especially all of the gold.”
“Not a fan of gold?”
“It’s nice in moderation,” I say, shrugging. “But they’re definitely pushing it. Especially with that statue by the staircase.”
Christian frowns at this. “I love that statue. I brought it with me all the way from New York.”
My brain completely freezes. “Wait a minute, is thisyourapartment?”
He nods. “Unfortunately, yes.”
“Oh my god, I’msosorry. I didn’t know you—”
Christian holds up a hand. “Eric, relax… I’m not offended,” he says with a laugh. “Except maybe the part where you called metacky.”
“I didn’t mean that—” I start.
“I’m kidding.” He stops me again. “You can call me whatever you like.” He glances back at the apartment for a moment. “To be completely frank, I appreciate the honesty. Sometimes I think people only tell me things I want to hear.”
“So, you’re not kicking me out?”
“That’s still up for debate,” he says with a smirk.
Some cheers from the inside. Christian checks his watch. “I should probably get back in there. But I’m glad we had a chance to chat.”
“Yeah, me, too.”
Before Christian goes, he pulls something from his pocket.It’s his phone. He hands it to me. “Here—put in your number.” He doesn’t even ask. He just tells me to do it.
“Uh, okay.”
Christian puts his phone back in his pocket. He looks at me one last time. “Nice jacket, by the way,” he says with a nod. “I’ll see you around.” Then he heads through the door, disappearing into the apartment.
It takes a moment for it to process. That means he wants to see me again, right? I mean, why else would he ask for my number? But I’ve been completely wrong about these things before. I’m sure he was only doing it to be nice. He probably won’t even remember meeting me tonight. At the very least, this has to count toward the goal Alex gave me.
I linger on the terrace for a few more minutes. Then I head back inside in search of the others. The lights have been dimmed; flashes of blue soften the room as I move through the crowd. A slow song has come on, changing the mood of the party. Some people have paired up, eyes lost in each other’s as I try not to bump into them. I’ve never been a fan of these slow dances. It triggers a specific memory, filling me with a sense of loneliness. I know it’s still a bit early for a Saturday night. But I don’t feel like lingering around longer, waiting for someone to talk to me. Especially since I can’t find Simon or Alex anywhere.
I leave through the front door and take the elevator to the lobby. There’s a slight chill in the air as I come outside. As I turn down the sidewalk, someone is there at the corner,facing the passing cars. It’s not until they turn around that I realize it’s—
“Haru… what are you doing here?”
“Was just out for a walk,” he says, brushing his hair back. He’s wearing a plaid jacket and dark gray slacks. “Didn’t expect to run into you.” He smiles a little, then glances at my clothes. “Looks like you’re heading to a party.”
“I was just leaving one,” I tell him. If I knew he was out here, I would have left sooner.
Haru pretends to check the time. “This early? Must have been a boring one,” he says.
I let out a breath. “It just wasn’t my vibe. That’s all.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Probably home,” I say, placing my hands in my pockets. “You can come with me, if you’d like. We could watch a movie or something.”
