Page 22 of See You Next Tuesday

Well, good. Gabe was glad she’d had a nice time.

“Okay, wait,” Jill spoke up to get the group’s attention. “Since it’s our last night, I was thinking we could do, like—I don’t know, like we each ask a question and then we all have to answer it?”

“Like an icebreaker?” Simone laughed.

“Or truth or dare?” Kira’s eyes flashed, and she kissed Simone on the cheek.

“No, just like, bonding!” Jill looked flustered. “Like—okay, everyone say what’s the best campaign you ever worked on and why. I’ll go first: Obviously it was Dowd for President, because that’s where I met all you losers!”

Everyone laughed and “aww”-ed, raising their glasses and toasting Jill.

“I’ll say Gans for Governor,” Kira piped in.

“You lost that race.” Simone frowned.

“Yeah, but I got paid to live in Hawaii for six months, and it ruled.” Kira grinned.

“I’ll drink to that.” Gabe lifted his glass.

“My favorite campaign was one I lost too,” Anya said.

“Ohhhh.” Simone looked at Anya with recognition. “Texas?”

“Yeah.” Anya nodded. “It was two years ago. I quit my consulting job and moved to a town where I didn’t know a single person to work for Zoe Vázquez.”

“No shit, Texas-28?” Ben looked impressed. “What’d you do on that race?”

“I was hired for field, but there were like nine of us on the team at first, so I ended up doing some of everything—a lot of digital,” Anya replied. “Zoe was running against this despicable anti-choice Dem incumbent. If Zoe had won she would have been the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. We weren’t supposed to have a chance, but in the end we only lost by like three hundred votes. It was a heartbreaker.”

“But it was your favorite?” Kira asked.

“Yeah.” Anya lit up, and her cheeks flushed with color, making her look even prettier. “It felt so right to be there, you know? Like everything I’d imagined for myself could be my real life. And I believed in Zoe so much, we all did. Being part of her team, feeling like the path of her life is gonna change in some part because I was there, and all the other young women who’ll be inspired to run for office because of her…it was incredible.”

“Wait.” Gabe peered at Anya as he did the math. “You quit your consulting job right after Ohio?”

“Yeah, I did.” Anya squared her shoulders as she met his gaze.

Gabe felt an ache in his stomach. A longing to be back at Char Bar. To say something different, to walk her home.

“What was your favorite race, Gabe?” Kyle asked.

“This one,” Gabe said without even thinking about it.

“Sure, I guess delivering the presidency is pretty good, if you’re into that sort of thing,” Ike joked.

“Even if the candidate was a hack with no beliefs,” Anya muttered—then immediately looked horrified. “I’m so sorry,” she said to Kira. “I know how hard you worked. I’m being an asshole.”

“No, you’re totally right,” Kira reassured her. “Gabe thinks so too.”

“Really?” Anya looked at Gabe like that couldn’t possibly be true. The ache that had started in his stomach felt like it was radiating to the rest of his body now, like he needed to stand up, or at least say something, but he couldn’t move.

“Oh my god, you should have been there this one night,” Kira said. “Gabe got all drunk and weepy about it. Started talking about the tragedy of general elections, the need for a candidate who would actually try to inspire people instead of just trying not to offend them. He was such a little bitch baby.”

Kira grinned at Gabe. He tore his eyes away from Anya and tried to act normal.

“Yeah, but I was your bitch baby,” Gabe said affably, tipping his glass toward Kira. Everyone laughed, but not Anya—she was still looking at him with unnerving intensity.

“So why was it your favorite race, then?” she asked. “If you didn’t like your candidate?”