You okay? his eyes asked.

I smiled and gave a slight nod of affirmation. I was fine. I was fun. This was the new me.

As Max talked about a music festival he’d attended while on ’shrooms, my mind drifted to Freya’s earlier proclamation. Sex on psychedelics was amazing, she’d said. Later, Brian and I would put that to the test. When the frivolity here had died down, we’d call a taxi (the island had a fleet of four cabs), go home, and make love while high on mushrooms. We needed a night of wild, uninhibited pleasure. Our fruitless efforts to conceive had taken a toll on our sex life. A renewed lust for each other was another perk of the indulgent life I was embracing.

“Are you feeling anything?” Freya was addressing me.

“I don’t know,” I said, and then I giggled. It just bubbled out of me. I looked down and found my mug empty.

“They’re kicking in,” Brian said, but I was too busy noticing how white the sofas were. So white they were almost blue. Like snow in sunshine.

Freya stood. “We’re going to need water. Jamie, come help me.”

Obediently, I got up and followed her to the kitchen.

It was brighter in there, but everything had soft, blurry edges. Freya ran the filtered water tap and filled four tumblers with the cold liquid. I stood by and watched, mesmerized by the sight of the water burbling from the faucet, filling the frosted glasses. When she’d filled the last one, she turned toward me.

“How are you feeling?”

“Good.” I smiled and found I couldn’t stop. “Really good.”

Freya smiled back. “Me too. I’m so glad you guys were into this.”

“I wasn’t sure at first, but you’re right. I should be more fun. And adventurous.”

Freya reached out and rested her hand on my shoulder. “You deserve this, babe. There’s no need to feel guilty.”

Guilty? I may have been more conservative than Freya, but I didn’t feel guilty about taking magic mushrooms with friends. “I don’t,” I said with a bleary smile.

“You’ve been such an amazing friend to me.” Her teeth were so white, as white as her couches. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I feel the same,” I said, perma-smile still in place.

“Let’s get back to the boys.” She turned and picked up two of the glasses. I grabbed the other two and trailed her back to the living room.

The men were lolling on the sofa, their pupils huge, their smiles wide. Freya handed a glass of water to my husband and sat beside him. I took her previous seat next to Max, placing both our glasses on the coffee table.

“Thanks,” he said, and smiled at me.

Glancing at Brian, I saw the same wide grin affixed to his face. We were all tripping by then.

“Music!” Freya said. “I made a playlist. Max, get my phone.”

My seatmate got up, towering over me for a moment on his way to find his wife’s device. I sank into the firm sofa. It felt like I was floating on a raft in a calm sea. I closed my eyes, my smile still in place.