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“Okay.”
I stand under the scalding spray and let it burn my skin, washing away days of numbness and grief. I scrub my hair. My face. My body.
When I finally step out, I feel almost human again.
I wrap a towel around my waist and wipe the steam from the mirror. The face staring back at me looks hollow.
I pull on fresh clothes. A camel-colored sweater and dark jeans.
Liam’s cleared the dishes, taken out the trash, and straightened the cushions on the couch.
He looks up when I walk in. “Better?”
“Yeah. Thanks. I’m sorry I’ve been so—”
“Everyone needs help sometimes. It’s not a big deal.”
I don’t know how to tell him how much this means.
“Come on, let’s go out.” He grabs his jacket.
“What? No. I’m not—”
“You are. We’ll get a drink. Nothing crazy. You need to get out of this apartment before you lose your mind.”
“Liam, I can’t—”
“Best way to get over somebody is to get under somebody,” Liam says with a grin.
I stare at him. “Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“I’m not ready for that.”
“Then we’ll just drink. Come on. It’ll be good for you.”
I hesitate.
“Please? Just a couple of hours. If you hate it, we’ll come back.”
The thought of staying here, alone with my thoughts, is unbearable.
“Okay.”
I check myself in the mirror before we leave.
The camel sweater looks good. I pull on my wool camel coat, wrap a scarf around my neck, and tug my white baseball hat low over my eyes.
Liam pats me on the shoulder. “There he is. Let’s go.”
We walk a few blocks. The trees are wrapped in white lights that glow in the darkness.
The sports bar is warm and loud when we push through the door. Multiple TVs are mounted on the walls, all showing different games. Christmas music plays over the speakers. Garland and lights are strung along the bar, and a small tree blinks in the corner.
It’s crowded, but not overwhelming. Mostly college students, laughing and drinking and shouting at the screens.
The host seats us at a table in front. A server comes over, and Liam orders us beers without asking what I want. She doesn’t card us, thank God. Although if she had, we would have been ready with some legit fakes Liam’s friend made for us.
