Page 57 of On the Rocks

“What’s wrong?”

I turned around, my eyes flitting over the packed gym, but I couldn’t tell what had caused her reaction.

She lifted her finger, discreetly pointing out a tall man in a black button-down shirt. He looked up, and though he was vaguely familiar from high school, I couldn’t recall his name. I was pretty sure he’d been in Cora’s year, though.

“That’s, um…Levi,” she said. “The guy I dated after you.”

Oh.Oh, shit. I turned back to her. “Are you all right?”

“I just hadn’t expected to see him,” she admitted, clutching her empty dinner plate to her chest. “He lives in California. I never thought he’d fly all the way in for the reunion.”

She looked a little sick, paling under the flashing lights. I took her by the arm and gently ushered her out of line to a nearby table. “Here, sit.”

She did, plopping down in the seat without argument.

“Can I get you anything?”

“No, I…” Her mouth hung open, but no words came out.

“Should I?—”

“We broke it off last year.” She played with the tablecloth. “Well,hebroke it off,” she muttered without looking at me. “I didn’t have much choice in the matter.”

That sounded messy, and despite her gritted teeth, she sounded hurt. And she appeared alarmingly shaky. “Seriously, Cora. You look like you’re going to pass out. Want me to find…um…Kate? I was talking to her earlier, and she’s a doctor now—she’d know what you need. Actually, I think she said she’s a pediatrician, but she brought her husband, and he’s an ER doctor, so?—”

She ran her hands through her hair, combing through the dark red curls before smoothing her hands down her dress. “No, I’m fine.” She gave another one of those tight little laughs. “It was a shock seeing him. That’s all. Really, I’m okay.”

“At least let me get you a drink?”

“Sure,” she said. “A drink would be great.”

She smiled up at me, and I could tell how forced it was. She was anything but fine.

Cora

Aiden had barely left my side when Levi appeared, like a demon that had crawled right out of my nightmares. Only this was no dream I could wake up from. This was Levi in the flesh: brown hair, brown eyes, cheeky smile. He’d dressed up. He never used to like getting dressed up. I wondered if his new boo had that effect on him. I looked past him, expecting to seeSallyhovering at his side. Not that I knew what she looked like. We’d never met. And, god willing, we neverwouldmeet.

Though if god was on my side in all of this, Levi never would have shown up tonight in the first place.

“Cora,” he said. “I’ve been waiting to talk to you all night.”

“Sort of wish you’d kept waiting,” I said, getting to my feet. My legs were wobbly. I’d only had one drink, but it suddenly felt like the alcohol hit me all at once. My skin prickled unpleasantly. Horrible memories surfaced in my mind of the last time we were together.Damn you, Levi.I was not going to cry here. I wasnot.

“Excuse me,” I said, stalking past him. I crossed the gymnasium as quickly as I could, darting between people trying to relive the glory days of the “Single Ladies” dance. I batted a balloon out of my way as I shoved through the gym door, escaping into the near silence of the hallway.

It felt like I could breathe again. Then the door swung open.

“Cora?” Levi called.

I bit down on my tongue, barely holding it together.

“Please let me explain,” he said.

“I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Listen, I’ve come all this way?—”

A hand touched my shoulder, and I wheeled around, taking a step back as I did, putting some distance between us. “I couldn’t care less about why you’re here, Levi. I don’t want to have this conversation with you—or any conversation, for that matter.”

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