Page 82 of Twisted Needs

I snort to myself. Maybe he’s just lonely, which almost makes me feel bad for him. Eventually, I hook my arms around his neck. Mostly because he’s tall. Partly because I want to see what happens. Drunk Anders likes to stir the pot. “You look miserable.”

“What?”

“You.” I poke his cheek. “You look like you’ve been held hostage.”

Vandy reluctantly wraps his arms around my waist. “Oh.” His nose wrinkles. “You’re sweaty, de Sousa.”

I stare at him. “You don’t open with hello?”

“Hello. You are sweaty.”

“I run hot.”

“That’s concerning, Anderson.”

I gasp. “It’s not concerning!”

“It’s a little concerning.”

My eyes narrow. “You don’t have to hold me.”

He smirks. “I know.”

“Then, why are you?”

He thinks about it for a second, laughing when he comes up with an appropriate answer. “I’m trying to absorb your energy.”

I blink once, furrowing my brows. “Like a vampire?”

“Kinda. My social battery is dead.”

I burst out laughing. Behind him, Seth slips away to grab another drink. A minute later he reappears and immediately recoils as soon as his hand finds its way back to my hip. “Jesus Christ, Anders.”

I point accusingly. “Don’t.”

“You’re fucking sweaty. Like a disturbing amount…”

I throw my head back dramatically. “Why is everybody acting like this is some kind of medical condition?”

Vandy actually laughs, like an actual laugh. We end up drifting toward the edge of the dance floor where it’s slightly quieter. Slightly being a very generous word. The music is still loud enough that we have to lean closer whenever we talk. “So why’d you come tonight?” I ask. “If your social battery is hanging on by a thread.”

He shrugs. “Didn’t feel like being alone in the apartment.” The answer catches me off guard. I study him for a second. For someone who looks perpetually confused, Vandy has surprisingly sad eyes.

“Well, where’s your shadow?”

“My what?”

“Your Mickey Rogers.”

Something flickers across his face, but it’s gone before I can figure out what it was. “On a date.”

“Ah.” I nod. Now that I think about it, Charlie did send me a ten minute-long voice memo ranting about her and Mickey’s situation hip. But it’s obvious Vandy isn’t that happy about it either. “She hot?”

“She’s a skank.”

I nearly choke. “A skank?”

“Svetlana the Skank.”