“I believe in you,” she says, squeezing my shoulders again. “Now please get out. I really need to pee.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Good luck—”
Alex locks the door behind me. I stand in the hallway fora moment. Then I gather myself and head back to face the crowd. I wish I were naturally social like Simon and Alex. I swear there’s more people here than there was a half hour ago. Maybe it’s the jacket, but it’s getting stuffy in here. There’s a glass door that’s opened to what looks like a terrace. I make my way outside and breathe in the cold air.
For some reason, there’s nobody else out here. I wander toward the railing and look out at the river. I forgot how high up we are. I close my eyes for a moment, letting the nice breeze cool me down.
Footsteps approach. A figure leans on the railing beside me.
For a second, I think it’s Haru. I turn my head and see someone I don’t recognize. “Nice view out here,” he says without looking at me.
“Yeah, it is.”
“A little chilly, though.”
I take him in a little. His black hair is brushed to the side, almost windswept. He wears a cream suit jacket, slightly matching the furniture in the apartment. A silver watch shines on his wrist. He looks a few years older than me, with a side profile that’s straight out of a men’s fragrance commercial.
He turns his head. “Do you live in Chicago?”
It takes a second for my brain to respond. “Yeah, I’m from here. What about you?”
“Moved here about a year ago,” he says, staring out at the view again. “So it’s all still new to me.”
“Where from?”
“Manhattan,” he says.
“Oh, I think I can tell.”
He laughs at this. “Is that so?” He turns to me, holding out a hand. “We haven’t officially met, have we? I’m Christian.”
“I’m Eric,” I say.
He has a nice grip. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around. Did you come here with someone?”
“I came with my friends,” I say, glancing back at the door. “They’re both in there somewhere. You?”
“I know a few people here,” he says casually.
Christian turns back to the railing, looking out again. A silence passes as I stand beside him, staring out at the view, too. I can see the Riverwalk from here, the boats passing along the water.
“There’s my favorite restaurant,” he says.
“Which one?”
Christian points to a rooftop below. “The ones with the umbrellas. Right along the river,” he says.
“I haven’t been there before.”
“The cocktails are very good.”
The music grows louder from behind us. We both glance at the door and back at each other.
“Sounds like the band has arrived,” Christian says. “Shall we head back inside?”
I consider this. “I might hang out here a little longer.”
