“It will happen soon enough. My own son mentioned a revealing photo in a bikini she posted for all the public to see. At least the old man is gone and doesn’t have to witness it,” whispers another faceless figure, melting into the crowd as soon as I whip toward the voice. As if I’m some kind of whore for posting a picture with my friends at the beach. In a high-waisted swimsuit, no less.

The laughter swells, attracting stares from other wasps nearby. I watch Noni’s face grow hot and red and itchy-looking, just like my insides, which are soothed only by more iced wine. The sips will add up, I know, but there’s time. There’s always time until there’s not.

“Where the fuck is Teddy?” I hiss at Manon, and when I turn, that’s when I spot Linos at the other end of the bar.

We meet eyes, and I smile, relieved beyond relief to see his handsome face, and just like that, I can convince myself I’m a romantic with a bloodstream full of wine.

“I’ll be right back,” I tell Noni, who scrabbles for my arm but can’t hold me.

He drifts my way—I rush toward him, mirroring him. I hear the patter of his tuxedo shoes as the room’s lights flicker, indicating the show is soon to begin.

In that moment, all I want is to escape—from Noni’s discomfort, from the vultures, the old, the dark, the dead.

“Linos,” I breathe into his ear, as soon as I’m close, and he shakes his head, with a look at the buzzing crowd, but thank God he senses my desperation, because he nods his chin into the darkness back behind this end of the bar. I follow him dutifully, head down, and once we’re out of sight, he pulls me toward a frosted glass door opposite the theater: a hidden hallway once used by performers. We reach the milky glass door of the galley, and he draws me through. As we run down the back hallway, I clasp his hand in mine so tightly that I can feel his heartbeat, faster than mine, its kick kick kick feeding me hope.

We turn into an empty pantry, toppling a stack of boxes: peach crates, since Mama loved fresh Bellinis. He presses me against a steel counter beside a brimming bowl of the fruit, and I move to press my mouth to his. And I’m surprised by how cool the steel is through my dress, and the kiss, oh God, I feel like there’s something growing deep inside me, something living, something—