“Are you going to introduce us to your friend?” Of course, it’s Georgia who asks because she is the nosiest of everyone.

“Sorry, yes. Molly, Amelia, Georgia, this is Dayton. Dayton, these are my best friends.”

“Nice to meet you,” he says, his gaze coming back to me quickly. “Are you on your way home?”

Why does he keep looking at me like that?

“She is,” Molly tells him, then adds, “You two live in the same building, right?”

“Molly,” I whisper-hiss, and she shrugs.

“What? If he’s going home, he could save me the gas.”

“You don’t pay for your gas.”

“Okay, then he could help save the environment.” She smiles. “We all have to do our part, right?”

“You don’t have to give me a ride home.” I look up at him. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Nope, and your friend’s right. We all need to do our part to save the environment.” He grins.

“Well, I guess we’ll leave you here then.” Georgia steps forward to give me a quick hug with a quiet order to call her when I’m alone. Amelia doesn’t tell me to call her, but she does ask if I want to get lunch Monday, so I know that’s when she plans on grilling me about Dayton.

And Molly just says, “Have fun,” with a little laugh that makes me roll my eyes. When we step outside, the girls walk down the block toward the parking lot, while Dayton and I head in the opposite direction.

“Did you have fun tonight?” he asks, and I tip my head back to look up at him.

“Yeah, you?”

“I wouldn’t say I had fun, but it was all right. Did you eat?”

“Yes.” I stumble over my own feet when someone behind us shouts his name. “Thanks,” I whisper when he grabs my upper arm to catch me.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just clumsy.” I turn with him and watch a man jog our direction, the woman I saw at the bar who I thought Dayton was with standing a few feet back like she is waiting for the guy running towards us.

“Dude, you forgot your card at the bar.”

“Shit, thanks man.” Dayton takes the card from him and puts it in his wallet.

“No problem.” His friends gaze comes to me, and he smiles.

“William, this is Franny, Franny, William.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.” He focuses back on Dayton. “I’ll call you.”

“Yeah man, tell Gem good night.”

“Will do.” He smiles then jogs back down the block to who I’m guessing is Gem and when he meets up with her, she lifts her hand and waves in our direction. I wave in return trying not to overthink why I feel so relieved that Dayton wasn’t out with her.