ia's

n spent barely more than six ho

ght, mumbling excuses about system migrations

ticulously on linen, working a complex emera

st refined piece of em

ool who'd loved him, destined fo

folding my winter coats into

ian's closest colleague

e sounded panicked ov

he Cellar Lounge on 1

I asked, smoothing

as drinking with the angel investors and now he's on the floor. We ca

time. It was

was still three weeks away

nly disrupt my carefully la

" I said. "I'll be th

the dim underground bar. The lat

ps and pushed through the door

whiskey, strong perfume,

friends huddled in a lea

their murmuring

few steps fr

ved leather bench, his head f

around her waist, his face

n was Bl

th the other, she stroked his messy hair with

rst and choked

! You'r

hreading through D

ed her porcelain face, quickly replaced

d Damian'

he whispered. "Your

groan and tightened hi

to her lap, his voic

stay right here... I'v

l into suffoc

neers stared at their glasses

liation, and the audience

ol lounge air, letting th

t race. My vis

ood at the table, and exten

ar and steady, without a tremor. "I'm Ame

outstretched hand

ither screaming and slap

like a diplomat at a state

ff her lap, smoothed her skirt, and

ly drunk. We grew up together-when he

" I interru

blister pack of electrolyte recove

er and give him two of these. So he

gily, squinting aga

lly saw

features. He wrenched himself away

e?" he stammered, swaying dangerously. "I

. "The car is waiting o

-drunk junior developer who clearly had

t leave! He lost t

Damian's phone

op-pinned chat! Let's see who cap

urgently, reaching for the phone, but the drunk

reen l

so the whole t

knows it's his li

oper's vo

screen, there was only

it, a go

ame:

Miranda," was buried under six d

llowed was heavy en

pagne glass, a faint, triumph

eyes darted between me and the phone,