Page 136 of False God

Cal stares at me. He looks as dignified as when he first arrived. Tie straight. Cuff links intact. His blue twill shirt is perfectly smooth, not a wrinkle in sight.

I, on the other hand, look nothing like when I showed up. My hair is frizzing. My lipstick gone. My dress is creased and sprinkled with droplets of champagne.

I swallow more. Probably best to climb into the limo with an empty bottle.

“Where’s Charlie?” Cal asks.

His name burns my throat worse than the bubbles.

“Charlie lives in England. Probably in a castle because he’s a duke.” I swing the bottle of champagne, spilling more. “Did you know that he’s a duke? He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he is. And dukes marry British girls who care about titles. They know nothing about Greek mythology though. Didyouknow Apollo is the god of archery?”

Cal drags a palm down his face. Mutters something that sounds a lot like,Fuck my life.

“You’re drunk, Lili,” he informs me.

“Not yet.” I take another sip of champagne. More of it spills onto my dress. “Planning to get there soon though.”

“Yeah … I think you’re already there.”

“Nope.” I pop theP, then take another step down the stairs.

Cal grabs my arm, making me stumble. Or maybe I was already unsteady. “Let’s go inside. Eat some dessert. Drink some water.”

“No. I’m leaving.”

“Yeah, that’s probably better,” he agrees. “Go home and get some rest?—”

“I’m goingclubbing, Callahan. You can come with me, but you can’t stop me.”

I take another step.Tryto take another step rather. It moves right before my foot lands. We were due for another major earthquake in New York City, I guess. It’s been centuries.

Except I’m not falling. And the world isn’t shaking.

Cal is carrying me, bridal-style, down the rest of the stairs.

One of the guys he was with—Levi or Damian—wolf-whistles.

I flip them off again. “I don’t like those guys.”

Cal half smiles. “They like you.”

My nose wrinkles. “No, they don’t.”

“Yeah, they do. Levi was in the middle of asking me if you were single when you came out here.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I just … wasn’t sure what to tell him.”

I deliberate, then decide. “I am. Single. We didn’t get this far, remember?” I kick my feet, the way I imagine a bride doing.

“I wasn’t wondering about me, Lili.”

Peoplereallywant to talk about Charlie tonight.

It feels easier, discussing it with Cal, than it did inside with Fran and Hugo.

Must be the night air. Nothing to do with the near empty bottle of champagne.

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