Joy passed him a ten and found an empty table for two near the front and against the wall. Conversations flowed around her and Arcade Fire’s newest hit, “The Suburbs,” could be heard just under the drone of voices. Minutes passed and still no appearance from Dylan. Joy sipped her beer, feeling anxious. A little nervous, too. It was the first time she’d intentionally gone out of her way to see a guy in eight years. She hadn’t dated in high school, preferring to spend her evenings in her room no matter how hard her parents and Taryn tried to get Joy to socialize.

But unexpectedly showing up at a bar to watch a new friend perform wasn’t the same as sneaking out of the house and hiding under the scratchy wool blanket on the back seat floorboard of Judy’s car, desperate for a chance to hang out with Kevin. Her sister had driven up the steep, mountain-hugging highway without a clue Joy was hiding in the back. If Joy had only heard the voice mail Taryn left on the answering machine that her parents had canceled their plans to be at the cabin that weekend, Joy never would have sneaked out of the house. If she’d known she’d have to weave through the Dulcotts’ crowded yard unnoticed to use Kevin’s bathroom because she was too embarrassed to pee in Taryn’s yard, she wouldn’t have left her bedroom. She wouldn’t have set foot outside the house if she’d foreseen the events her spontaneous and reckless action had set into motion.

Joy gulped her beer, washing down memories of Judy and that night. They made her miss her sister and the little things she’d do, like decorate Joy’s dinner plate with goldfish crackers. She’d make them look like they swam in a broccoli coral reef. It was the only way Joy would eat her greens. But mostly the memories made Joy loathe herself.

Arcade Fire cut out midsong and polite applause broke around her. Dylan finally made an appearance. He stood in the center of the small stage. She joined in, clapping enthusiastically.

Dylan acknowledged the crowd with a mediocre wave. He still wore the same stonewashed jeans but had changed into a solid black shirt, the sleeves shorter than his previous shirt. Ink peeked out when he moved his arm.

Curious about the tattoo, she leaned forward. What was it? Would he show her the design if she asked? She also wondered about the leather bands on his wrist. Why so many? What was their significance?

Joy tugged her engagement ring on and off, the weight on her finger suddenly heavy. She still wasn’t used to wearing it. She also had a lot of questions about Dylan, too many to pass off her interest in him as solely a stranger she’d given a lift to.