Page 110 of Tumbling Hearts

“Easy for you to tell me to calm down!” she yells.

“No need to crash the party over this, man,” Santiago says, walking up to them all, looking at both Tim and Carol.

“I don’t fucking care! This shit really made me mad!” Carol balls both hands into fists again. “Gene, you’re just as bad as Ray. And you know it. Maybe you two really are meant for each other.”

Ray’s heart never stops pounding. Gene scoots off of Ray to sit in the free spot that Pat used to occupy. Ray mourns the loss of his heat, despite the chaos, his breathing stuttering.

Everyone is fucking watching us.

“Carol, Tim, please,” Dennis says, walking into their orbit, holding his arms out. “I don’t want this to get out of hand.”

“Yeah, man. We’re just trying to have a good time!” Santi adds. “Sorry you gotta see this, babe,” he says to his lady next to him.

“Carol, we have your things,” Tim says politely, resting his palm on her shoulder. “You’ve made your point. We should leave now.”

She takes a deep breath, in, and out. She relaxes her hands by her sides. Turning toward Tim, she frowns, shaking her head. “Fine. You’re right. Let’s get out of here.”

Without a care, she pushes past Santi, pushes past the other people huddled around, walking briskly toward the kitchen with Tim in tow, off to the foyer and the side exit. Only when Ray can no longer see her and Tim does he let out a deep sigh of his own.

The air feels so still. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears. No one seems to move until they all hear the door click, the cue that Carol and Tim have really, truly, finally left.

“Oh my god…” Ray whispers.

Gene groans, gripping his drink with one hand against his knee, his other hand holding his wounded cheek.

“Gene, are you alright?” Ray asks, still breathing heavily.

“Y-yeah. I’m fine.”

“She knocked you pretty good, didn’t she,” Pat remarks, turning toward them.

“Yeah, but I’ll be alright.”

“I’m gonna grab some towels to clean this up,” Dennis says, motioning his arm at the spilled drink on the floor before he’s off toward the hall.

“What a way to end the year, huh?” Santi says, holding his lady’s hand. “You think that’s the last we’ll see of her?”

“I hope so,” Ray says, looking down at the mess on the carpet.

“I’ve got to ask, though,” Santi says, “What was it that you stole from her?”

Ray chokes, the lump in his throat making it hard to breathe. “Do I really gotta say?”

“You’ve got me curious,” Maurice pipes in, Kenneth right beside him.

“Yeah, Ray, tell us!” Pat says with a smile.

More people chime in, a ruckus forming around them. She really did come here just to embarrass me, didn’t she? He looks at Gene, asking him without words what he should do. Gene doesn’t seem to have an answer. There’s concern in his eyes, but… he purses his lips to one side, and gives Ray a shrug.

It’ll be alright, Gene suggests.

“Okay, if you all really wanna know,” Ray says, eyeing the crowd. “I, uh… stole… some of her underwear.”

A beat passes. The room stares at him.

And then⁠—

Santiago belts out a laugh.