dining room felt like they were mocking

nancial roadkill, and this dinner

a desperate hope to bind us to one of the

ian. My suppose

with the clink of expensive silverware

s father, cleared h

began, her smile a little too sweet, "you

, a fragile, hop

mooth, the one that made girl

has been. Like one of

l dismissal that l

' s smile

med in, his artistic ey

ke the cool older

the coffin of my

ct, the most serious, didn't

his gaze analyt

a serious partner? A bit too

in the air, bru

pled slightly, my fath

ned through me,

d me, and found me wanting, all

r scraping against

eye wa

surprisingly steady, "it do

h of them, Cale

lready have

ir faces was alm

unned, then a flicke

ession tightened, a mus

flicker of something un

d, his composure

ut of the dining room, out of the house, the oppressive

ight air h

oyfriend,

moment, I

or slamm

va

not roughly, but with an

, his campus-king charm

boyf