I didn’t stay long after that.
The music was still playing, people were still laughing, glasses still clinking as if nothing had happened, but something in me had already checked out. I found Elise eventually.
“Hey,” she said, immediately noticing my face. “Are you okay?”
“I’m just tired,” I replied, forcing a small smile. “I think I’m going to head home.”
Her brows pulled together slightly. “Already? You just got here. Did something happen?”
“Long day,” I said lightly. “Work.”
She studied me for a second longer, like she wasn’t entirely convinced, but then she nodded. “Okay… text me when you get home, alright?”
“I will.”
She hugged me again, soft, warm, genuine.
The ride back to my side of the city was a quiet, suffocating blur. I sat near the grime-smeared window of the night bu
