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It was a good drawing I hated that it was of e "I’m more handsome than that, aren’t I?" he asked her

"Yes" She toyed with her drink, looking up at me "You are"

I didn’t knohat to do next, because usually, in this situation, I’d lean in to kiss her Correction: what I used to do next was lean in, but that was at parties in people’s basements, not bars--would that even work here? It hat Simon would probably do I wanted to, I did, and still I didn’t want to at all Should I change the subject? Ask about Gretchen, the art forger Leander had made contact with? About her professors? Should I just kiss her and pretend it didn’t make htened "Hey!" she said, waving a hand to someone over my head "Over here!"

In an instant, ere surrounded by chattering girls One earing a paint-splattered backpack, so I figured they were her friends from school "Everyone," she said, "everyone, this is Simon, he’s British," and in the flurry of introductions that followed, I thought I heard the na to the Kunstschule Sieben next year," I yelled over the music It was disco now, and louder "I do video installations! Do any of you do video installations!"

"Yes!" the girl next to me yelled back

"Can I ask you more about it!"

"Friday s!"

I wasn’t sure if she’d heard ood, but the crowd of girls was rabbed my hand in hers An invitation to follow I threw sohly triuo to a party There’d be other students there Surely soo back to Holust wouldn’t have--

Or would Because like a night between us and the door

five

I HADN’T SEEN THEM COME IN I’D SAY IT WAS A TESTAMENT to how good their disguises were, but they weren’t dressed to fit in with this crowd They’d taken the opposite tack fro tourist elled hair down to his white sneakers and calf-high socks Hol out of her fanny pack Her wig, lanced up Her eyes traveled down to ht I saw her blanch

Either way, she recovered quickly

"There you are," Holht she was about to blow ust and said, "I told you he couldn’t ditch us for long"