Page 35 of The Girl Who Was Taken

“I’m so friggin’ buzzed,” Diana said. She took the shot in one swallow and laughed. “God, that’s good.”

“I could drink these all night,” Casey said. “Or those lemon drop shots.”

“Yeah,” Diana said. “Those are good, too.”

“Sit down with us.”

Diana took a seat. They had to yell over the music. “You go to school here?” Casey asked.

“Yeah. You?”

Casey nodded. “I’m a grad student.”

“Really?” Diana asked. “In what?”

“Math.”

“Oh God! I hate math.”

“Me too,” he said.

Casey ordered more drinks and they talked for thirty minutes. He was so unlike the other guys she’d met at school who talked mostly to their friends and never directly to her. Casey asked all about her. When Diana had to use the bathroom he went with her, then waited when he was finished so they could walk back together. After another twenty minutes, Diana’s friends came over.

“We’re taking off,” they said.

“Okay,” Diana said.

Casey cocked his head to the side. “Total drag. But if you’ve gotta go, maybe we could hook up next week or something.” Casey looked at his friends, then back to Diana. “Unless you wanna hang for a while here. I’ll make sure you get home okay.”

Diana smiled at Casey, then looked at her friends. “I’m gonna stay for a while.”

It felt so good to be here at the end of the night, to be the one staying behind to talk with a guy while her friends headed back to the dorm.

“Cool,” her friend said. “See you when you get back.” Their faces carried smirks as they walked away.

“If you gotta go, that’s cool,” Casey said.

“No,” Diana said, brushing a hand at her friends. “They’re just going to get burritos.”

Casey held up his beer and Diana clinked her vodka. “Cheers,” he said.

Diana took a sip.God, he’s gorgeous.

One o’clock came in a hurry. The bartenders hollered last call and a rush of students lined the bar to order one final drink before they spilled into the streets and headed to after-hours. There was talk of a Theta Chi late night. Diana laughed as the crowd squashed her and Casey into the bar to place their orders.

“We’re gonna get trampled,” Casey said. He took her hand and pulled her away from the bar, off herstool and toward the door. Diana felt his fingers intertwine with her own, the way she always saw couples on campus hold hands. She allowed him to pull her out the front door. The summer air was thick and sticky. Buzzed and dizzy from the shots, she felt herself walk the sidewalk with heavy, wobbly steps toward the end of the building and into the walkway that separated the bar from the dry cleaners next door.

Casey pulled her into the narrow space. “Sorry,” he said. “I had to get outta there.”

“Yeah,” Diana said. “I needed some air.”

“You thinking about going to the frat party?”

Diana shrugged. “I don’t know. You want to?”

Casey came close to her, until her back was against the bricks. “Not really.”

His face was close enough to smell the beer on his breath. Cigarettes, too. As if he could read her mind he said, “You smell like fuzzy navels.”

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