She felt familiar, but William couldn’t place where he may have seen her before. He
turned away, trying not to appear like he was staring. A couple walked past and
blocked his view, and when they were gone, the woman had disappeared.
William looked around the crowd but couldn’t find her. He leaned back and took
another drink.
David and Lisa were still on the dance floor, laughing and moving with the music.
William wished he could feel at ease in public, not caring what anyone thought.
He drained the last of his drink and stared into the empty cup. He felt good,
buzzed, not drunk. He didn’t want to overdo it and end up passed out on the kitchen
floor next to Eric. He glanced at the cup again.
“Half an hour,” he whispered to himself, promising he’d wait thirty minutes before
considering another.
“You look thirsty.”
William turned. The woman from earlier stood behind him, holding two red plastic
cups. She set one in front of him and took the seat beside him.
“I feel like I’m the soberest person here besides you,” she said. She took a big
drink. “So, I think we need to loosen up.”
“I’m not really a big drinker,” William admitted.
“That just means you’re a cheap date,” she replied. “Take a drink. Loosen up.”
He took a sip, then another when she did.
“See?” she said. “Not that bad.”
“Let’s look at that shirt,” she said, moving closer to him.
William leaned back. The shirt showed a city skyline with stars and a crescent
moon. She ran a finger across the buildings. William held his breath.
“Pavement,” she said, reading the word beneath the image. “Cool shirt.”