I swung my eyes to the front seat. River was watching my face in the mirror, his expression shuttered. Devan was twisted in the passenger seat, watching me over his shoulder.

“You all feel this way?” I couldn’t do this without them. I loved Rigby, but if I felt bad about being a sledgehammer to their careers, I definitely couldn’t live with breaking up their friendship.

Devan let out an incredulous snort. “It’s taking everything in me not to climb over there and show you how much I missed you. God, Star, you look so fucking beautiful tonight. These last few weeks have been…”

“Hell,” River finished for him. Even dressed up, River looked rough. Dark circles under his eyes, the lines of his face pulled down. “It’s been hell without you. Please…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to beg.

I sucked in a deep breath. “We’ll try it slow, okay? I’m not moving back in—”

“Yet,” Devan added.

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Yet. But I’ve missed you guys so much too. It’s been so shitty.”

Rigby grinned, pulling me into his lap and kissing me hard. “We’ll take it whatever pace you like, Fireball. We’re in this for the long haul.” He kissed me again, and kept kissing me like he was making up for lost time.

River started the car, and we drove into the center of Ann Arbor to a popular nightclub, parking a few blocks away. I stepped out of the car and straight into Devan’s arms. He kissed me too, backing me up against the car door. I was glad my dress wasn’t white. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to; the desperation of his lips on mine said enough.

“I’ve missed the scent of you,” he murmured against my neck after a moment. “Your smell on my pillows haunted me until it faded, and then I just missed you even more.”

I ran my hands through his hair. “I know.”

I was dragged from his arms and into River’s. He picked me up, his arms tightly banding around my waist, his face burying into my shoulder as he just breathed me in. He was muttering things against my skin that I couldn’t hear, but the desperation in his touch, the way he was holding me like his life depended on it, told me everything I needed to know. The guys were watching him with worried eyes, and I knew I’d have to talk to them about it later.