Page 118 of From Now On

Tonight is feeling increasingly like a mistake. But I’m already here, so I step inside, shut the door behind me, and follow David into the kitchen.

“Eve!” Mary hurtles into my arms as soon as she spots me, smelling strongly of tequila.

My stomach turns. My memory of that night at Sand Bar is still a little hazy, but my nose does not have any positive associations with the smoky scent of alcohol.

“I’m so glad you came!” she adds, bouncing back to beam at me.

I return Mary’s wide smile, not surprised she’s already started drinking. Ben and David like to discuss a director’s style and filmography before going to see a movie, and their conversations tend to make the film itself seem riveting by comparison.

“Me too,” I reply, unsure if it’s a lie.

“Ben’s in his room,” she tells me. “Grabbing his laptop. He wanted to show David something.”

I nod, taking a seat on the stool next to her so I feel like less of an imposter standing in the center of the room. David’s leaning against the counter next to the sink, scrolling on his phone,presumably waiting for Ben to come back. There’s no sign of Devon, but he only participated in these outings sporadically. I have more sympathy for the “fifth wheel” situation he was in after being in that position myself.

There’s a box of donuts open on the counter. I recognize Holey Moley’s logo on the side.

“Help yourself,” Mary urges. “I got them for you.”

I thank her and grab a chocolate glazed.

So damn good.

“Want a drink?” Mary asks me, gesturing toward the three bottles on the counter.

“Is there something besides tequila?” I ask, squinting at the labels between bites.

“What’s wrong with tequila?”

“Spring break,” I remind her.

“Oh. Right. There’s vodka?”

“That’s perfect.”

“What does tequila have to do with spring break?” David asks, glancing up from his phone.

Nowhe decides to be chatty.

“Eve had a little too much fun,” Mary replies, winking at me.

“Oh, yeah. Ben mentioned you were partying with Harlow Hayes,” David says, then looks back down at his phone.

His cavalier comment pisses me off for two reasons.

One, it means that Ben was definitely sparse in details shared about our breakup. Because Ben dropping the bomb that he’d changed his whole future without consulting me and Harlow jumping in to make sure I didn’t spend spring break depressed and alone is not what I’d describe aspartying.

Two, there’s definitely some judgment of my best friend in David’s tone, which I suspect might be a sore ego about how poorly his date with her went. I’m offended on Harlow’s behalf—and Mary’s, who is sitting right here.

Mary scowls at her boyfriend. “Eve isn’t allowed to have fun?”

Ben walks into the kitchen with his laptop tucked under one arm before David can respond. He glances around, taking in me holding a half-eaten donut, Mary as she glares at David, and David’s sheepish expression.

He clears his throat before speaking. “Hey, Eve.”

I don’t echo the greeting. “You told David I spent spring breakpartying?”

Ben grimaces a little, moving the laptop under his other arm as he takes another step into the kitchen. “Well, I said you wereprobablypartying.”

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