Page 56 of One Night Only
There’s a noise on the other side of my wall and a moment later I hear Claire’s door open. Eager for anything other than my own company, I slip out of bed and hop through my discarded clothes on the floor. I find her sitting in the dark, perched on our kitchen counter, eating crackers straight from the box.
“Did I wake you?” she asks when she sees me.
“No, I can’t sleep.”
“Join the club.” She shakes the box at me and we’re silent for a few minutes as we crunch our way through them.
“I got invited to the Griffiths’ party,” she says, licking her fingers.
“The what now?”
“My boss’s annual party. The one they host every year in that amazing penthouse because they’re gazillionaires.”
“Right,” I say. “Cool. That’s a good thing, right?”
“A very good thing.” She pops another cracker into her mouth. “I need you to come with me.”
I make a face. “It’s not really my thing.”
“Supercool rich-people parties aren’t your thing?”
“Maybe when I was nineteen and didn’t know any better. They’re not fun. Just a bunch of boring old people sipping on heavy wine. I’ll pass.”
“You can’t pass.”
“Bring someone else.”
“I don’t have anyone else. I don’t have time for friends, remember? Only you. And even that is purely because we’re forced into proximity.” She puts the box down. “Mark will be there.”
“I thought Mark was in Seattle?”
“He’s coming back for the party,” she says as understanding dawns. “And this is the perfect opportunity for me. I can show up and look stunning and—”
“Take off your glasses and flick your hair?”
“Please Sarah. You’re better at this stuff than I am. I need you to be there. I need you to help me.”
I can’t deal when she looks at me with those round, soulful eyes. She’s better at flirting than she thinks she is. “When is it?” I sigh.
“Not for weeks. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need you.”
“Fine.” I’m already worried about what the hell I’m going to wear. “Of course, I’ll go if you want me to.”
“It won’t be that bad. You’ll see. You can find a rich hookup.”
“Yay,” I say, my voice flat but she looks relieved enough that I don’t try and get out of it again.
We’ve finished the crackers. I should go back to bed, but I don’t move, wrapping my arms around me despite the warmth of the apartment. “Do you want to bring me to your fancy gym tomorrow?”
That gets her attention. “For real?”
“I’m not going to go if you’re going to make a big thing about it.”
“It’s not a big thing. It’s just unexpected. Is this the new you?”
“Maybe,” I mutter, going back to my room to sign more petitions or read about black holes or whatever it is you’re supposed to do when you can’t sleep.
“I give it one week,” she calls after me.
