So it didn’t make much sense when he found himself walking across the room, fully intending to interrupt their conversation.
Lily was in the middle of talking to Caleb’s friend Will about which middle-grade fantasy novels he should buy for his girlfriend’s niece, when Nick suddenly materialized at her side and said, “Hey, can I show you something in the kitchen really quick?”
He had an odd look on his face, like he’d eaten a Sour Patch Kid that hadn’t turned sweet as promised. He briefly nodded his head at Will before returning his gaze to her.
Lily, someone who often felt exhausted at the thought of parties, was surprised at how much she was genuinely enjoying herself tonight. Caleb took his hosting duties very seriously and he danced with Lily every few songs and was kind enough not to ask how she’d somehow gone through life without properly learning how to dance on beat. The crowd was a mix between Caleb’s friends from interior design school and publishing people who knew Marcus, which basically meant that every other person knew at least one of Lily’s coworkers. The men at the party were sweet and funny, but they were also either gay or had shown up with a girlfriend. Will’s girlfriend had just excused herself to go smoke. That meant finding a prospective date tonight to Violet’s wedding was a bust.
Lily was having fun, but she was relieved to see Nick. Talking to so many new people was exhausting. Her social battery was beginning to drain.
“Okay,” she said to him, wondering what it was that he had to show her.
She said goodbye to Will and followed Nick into the kitchen. It was mostly dark, but the glow from the disco ball shed enough light on Nick’s gold shirt and the table that was covered in empty pizza boxes and beer bottles. Nick paused by the fridge and glanced around before turning to face Lily. She looked at him expectantly.
“Uh,” he said. Then he reached above the fridge and procured a family-size bag of Kettle Brand sour cream and onion chips. He opened the bag and held it out to Lily. “Want some?”
Bemused, she walked closer to him. “You wanted to show me a bag of chips?”
“Not just any bag of chips,” he said. “Caleb’s secret stash.” When Lily froze, Nick laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll buy him another bag. We didn’t get here in time for pizza. I thought you might be hungry.”
Lily was touched that he’d thought to look after her well-being. And he was right, she was hungry. Too hungry to think about the repercussions of eating Caleb’s secret snack. She took the chips and poured a handful into her palm, trusting that Nick would make good on his promise to replace the bag.
She sat at the table and Nick took the seat beside her. Their gold clothes were illuminated. There was something calming about sitting in the dark this way, slightly removed from the party.
“Are you having fun?” he asked, looking over at Lily. His lips formed into a soft smile when he realized she was too busy chewing to respond. She wished his smile didn’t have such an effect on her. “They’re good, right?”
She nodded and almost wiped her hands on her thighs but remembered that Violet would murder her if she got potato chip grease on her clothes. She reached for a napkin instead.
“I am having fun. Everyone’s really nice, especially Caleb.” She offered him her half-full cup of rum punch. “Want some?”
“Nah, I don’t drink,” he said. “I mean, I try not to.”
“Oh, okay.” She set her cup down on the table. “I still haven’t met Marcus, though.”
“He’s somewhere around here.” Nick paused. “So . . . have you met any wedding-date contenders?”
“Sadly, you’re the only single man here who is interested in women.”
Nick blinked. “Really? But what about the dude with the Afro?”
“We’re at a disco party. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“The one you were talking to when I walked up. He was wearing a turtleneck.”
“Oh, him. He has a girlfriend.”
“Huh.” He leaned back in his chair and mumbled something to himself. Aloud to her, he said, “I’ve failed you then.”
Lily grinned. “It’s okay. We still have until August. Plus, as sad as it sounds, I think I’ve had enough socializing tonight.”
“It doesn’t sound sad,” he said, scooping more chips out of the bag. “I’ve already reached my limit and I only talked to you and Marcus. Parties require too much extroverting.”