“Like who’s on first?” he says, grinning. He crinkles his nose and his glasses go crooked. He has big teeth. I like them. I think about how I could paint his smile in a song. I realize I don’t even know what to call him.

“You never told me your name,” I say. “I’m at a disadvantage.”

“Ray.” He offers me his hand, and when I go to shake, he puts his other hand over mine, looks in my eyes, and says, “It’s really nice to meet you, April.”

We talk until last call. I don’t want it to end. I don’t want to stop feeling like I actually exist in the world. He tells me how he used to be in a band. We talk instruments. He says my guitar is a really good one. The way he says really makes me worry that my mother’s old ring wasn’t enough of a trade and maybe I still owe Adam something.

“I’ve been thinking about having an electric pickup added,” I tell him.

“Thing is, you’re better off just getting an acoustic-electric. Don’t start cutting into your guitar. You’ll kill the soul. I mean, this is what you do for a living, right? You can have more than one guitar, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess. I’m so bad with the gear side of things,” I say, pushing my hair out of my face, letting it fall back where it was. “I should probably get my own PA too at some point. I could play in so many more places, and the sound would be consistent.”

“Why don’t you?”

“It costs. And it’s a lot to learn—all the different techie things I’d need to know before I could figure out what to buy.”

“You know what? Come home with me.” He’s shredding his wet bar napkin into tiny pieces. I like that I make him nervous. I like that he has jitters too.

“I don’t know,” I say, “I was going to hit the road and drive to Red Bank. Pull an all-nighter. I have a place to crash there.” It’s always better to make them think it’s their idea.

“You have a place to crash here,” he says. “I’ll show you my guitars and amp. You can play them, so you’ll have a point of reference when you’re ready to buy.”

“Are you sure?” I say. “I don’t want to put you out.”

“Not at all,” he says, and just like that, I have a place to sleep tonight. I have someone to talk to. Maybe more.

When we get back across the street to our cars, he offers to drive me to his place. I tell him I’ll follow him instead.