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“A little crazy as in” I trail off, deciding I hs over the top of his glass When Ed doesn’t ihtens, and a hush falls over the rooistically “Wait Seriously?”

I tidy up the e”

Reid falls forward onto the table laughing, and maybe it’s the fact that half my blood has to be wine at this point, but I’ I noticed about hio, Reid and I were introduced by y (Yes, this means that my ex-boyfriend is now ain) Reid was new to UCSB, and at the dedication of a new co the first time anyone had seen Reid outside his lab Apparently Reid and his fiancée had just broken up; her first complaint was that Reid spent too much time at work I didn’t know that at the tihed at the little dig and continued to smile warmly as we shook hands I had a tiny, i, crinkly-eyed s of Dustin’s underhanded jabs

For un-Reid-related reasons, I broke up with Dustin a few months later, but because it turns out no one liked Dustin anyway, I got to keep Reid, and all his friends, too: Chris and Reid went to graduate school together, Ed joined Reid’s lab as a postdoc shortly after he was hired, and Alex shared lab space with Chris when they were both new faculty at UCSB I’roup, but at work and at houys have become my sweet little chosen fa to take that as a no, on the still dating question”

Ed rolls again, happy when he doesn’t ets to re to the commencement banquet?” Chris asks

Reid pulls his attention from the board and over to Chris “Do we have to think about that yet? The banquet is in June It’s only March”

Chris sly around the table “I take it none of you heard the rumor about this year’s speaker”

Reid searches his expression “The speaker willa date?”

Chris stands and walks into the kitchen to grab another beer “I heard a ru the commencement address, and a keynote at the Deans’ Banquet Black tie, plus-one, the whole nine”

We all gasp, deeply, in unison

“I got word that the chancellor is going to announce it this week,” he adds

“No way” Ed stares at hioing this year”

Reid laughs, picking up the dice “You’re supposed to go every year”

“Last year the commencement speaker was Gilbert Gottfried I don’t think I uys about this,” Chris says “None of us is dating anyone—” He stops, glancing to where Ed is balancing a cork on his nose and counting to see how long he’s able to do it

“Look at this, Millie” Ed stretches his arms out “Ten seconds, no hands”

Chris turns back to the rest of us “—or has any serious prospects,” he continues slowly “Who are we taking?”

Ed straightens, catching the cork in his palether?”

“Because it’s not junior proo solo?”

“Ideal with dancing and coupley stuff Go solo and be the loner, go in a group and we’re the table of dudes—and Mills—sitting there aardly We should get dates”

Reid rolls his dice and begins counting out his turn “I call Millie”