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"Did you quit Fred’s?"

"No, just wanted solasses down on the other side of the bar, and begins putting them away on a small shelf

"So, London--"

"Did you want a drink?" she asks me over her shoulder

"No, I"

I what?

I have no idea what co patiently Do I ask her if she heard? Do I tell her that I didn’t really think what Daniel said was funny? The problem is that I didn’t think it was funny but I also didn’t think it was that big a deal, eitheruntil I realized he was talking about London, and--worse--that she’d heard Would I be here talking to her if she had been across the bar, out of hearing range when he’d said it?

This is the kind of thing she would ask me, and this is what I would be unable to answer

"I just wanted to say hi," I say, s

Her eyes flicker to my mouth and then she looks evenly back up "Hi"

"Do you want to come over later?" It co in My voice even cracks on the last word

London’s eyes go tight before she sluenuine one: sweet, all-American, di the waitress, reently, as if wanting to be careful withthat anymore"

KEYS IN HAND, I’ lot when I hear Dylan callto catch up "You just got here"

Scratching ht directly over s I need to take care of before work to to the side so I’ll look over at him His shoulders slump a little as he repeats, "Look, man I don’t knoell you know her, but London isn’t like that" He looks straight into my eyes "She’s really cool"

London isn’t like that,back I should tell hiured that out almost immediately, but already this is too much drama for me

"It’s cool, Dyl, I just talked to her"

"I hope she turned you down," he says, and his s it

"She did" I look back toward the club "How do you know her, anyway?"

"She’s a friend of a friend" This is exactly the kind of inforht, but tonight it takes Herculean effort for ht," I say "I’ll see you later"

"Later"

I don’t feel like going hoe I cli back on any of this toot is either asleep or in the lab, and her rooirlfriend’s house The aparte is blessedly full

I’ an epic turkey sandhen I hear footsteps pad down the hall

"Pa," Margot stage-whispers behindin the pantry for some chips "You have better snacks than I do"

My sister coainst it "Because I don’t wait until tuerator before I hit the grocery store"