“I should um … I should probably get…” Darby’s expression changed, and she sat in Trex’s chair, placing one palm flat on the table.

“You okay?” Trex asked, grabbing her arm. The color drained from her face, and she stared at the table. She couldn’t have been drunk. I hadn’t seen a glass in her hand since she’d arrived.

“Yeah, just dizzy,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” I said. “You look like you’re about to—”

Darby leaned over and heaved, the water she expelled splashing on the floor. Trex and I watched in shock and confusion.

Zeke and Watts rushed over.

“Darby?” Zeke said, taking her arm.

Watts saw the puddle on the floor and held the back of his wrist to his nose.

“Don’t be such a pussy. Go get a towel from the bartender,” I said.

“What the fuck, Zeke?” Trex barked. “You bring her to a bar when she’s sick?”

“She’s sick?” Zeke asked. “I … I didn’t know.”

“You knew she was puking in the hotel lobby earlier,” Trex said.

Darby heaved again.

“Was it something she ate?” I asked.

Zeke shook his head. “She hasn’t eaten anything. She hasn’t felt great all night.”

“So you bring her here instead of taking her home?” Trex growled, grabbing his shirt.

“Stop. Stop! I’m okay,” Darby said, her head still down.

The guilty expression on his face made me feel an unexpected empathy for him.

“Nomes…” Trex said, pleading my forgiveness. He wasn’t asking to leave. I knew he’d take Darby home whether I was okay with it or not.

“Yeah, go…” I said.

Jerry walked over to scope the damage. “Oh man,” he said, disgusted at the puddle on the floor. “I should be used to puke by now, but…”

Zeke shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Grab me a mop and a bucket, Jerry. This is my fault. I’ll clean it up.”

“Cool,” Jerry said, leaving without hesitation.

“Paper towels and a trash can too,” I called after him. I looked at Zeke. “I’ll help.”

“You don’t have to,” Zeke said.

I shrugged one shoulder. “I know.”

“It’s not what it looked like, you know. We already had plans … before,” he gestured to the space between us, “and I hadn’t heard from you, so…”

“Yeah,” I said, waving him away. “I don’t care, it’s fine.”

His shoulders sagged, deflated.

Jerry arrived with the mop, bucket, rags and trash bags.

“Thanks,” he said, turning away quickly.

“Don’t mention this to Darby,” I said. “She’ll be embarrassed. Just pretend it never happened.”

He nodded. “True. I didn’t think about that.”

I shook my head once, bending to my knees. “Anything I can do to help.”

Zeke kneeled next to me. “Seriously. It’s not like that.”