“I’ll drink to that,” I say.
As soon as Dana comes back, we do drink. We toast a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year … and many other things until we’ve had to refill our glasses a second time. This year, there seems to be a great many things to toast. Too many. If I don’t step away from these three soon, I’m going to end up like I did last year—vomiting on the floor and hungover for two days straight.
I loop my arm through Dana’s and announce I’m giving her the grand tour of the place. It seems a suitable excuse to take a break from drinking without looking too much like the pussy I really am.
Besides, I still haven’t gotten ahold of those cheeses. I feel them whispering to me from one room over, just begging to be spread out on crackers and devoured. I’m about to step out into the corridor with Dana when Astor catches me by the shoulder. He’s broken away from the other two, who look like they’ve started organizing a drinking game around the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Looks like we got out just in time.
But Astor isn’t letting me go. “Wait. Let one of the boys take her. I want to talk with you.”
I look up at him and shake my head. “No, Astor. I’m not doing this. You know how I feel about it.”
He shakes his head. “No! Please, just talk with me! You can catch up with her in a few minutes.”
“Oh shit.” It’s Wills. Suddenly, he and Blair are back at my side, their drinking game forgotten. He points towards the door. “That guy, Eli is here.”
I can’t see him above the crowd, but Blair is squinting at something over everyone’s head. “He’s brought someone else too. We’d better take care of this.”
Wills nods, and the two boys start pushing their way back towards the door. “I’ll distract him by telling him about my SAT,” he says. “Ask him to make some phone calls or something for me. He won’t be able to refuse.”
Astor is still tugging on my sleeve like a kid trying to get my attention, and I finally cave.
“Hey Dana, why don’t you take a look around yourself for a minute?” I say, gesturing to Astor. “We need a moment alone. I’ll catch up with you.”
She raises her eyebrows at me, but she leaves us … not before taking my half-empty wine glass along with her. “Now, if you want it back, you can’t forget about me.”
“Forget about you? Never.”
She just rolls her eyes, waves the glass in front of my face, and squeezes off into the crowd on her own. I’m barely alone with Astor for a second before I hear my name called across the crowd and the music.
“Teddy!” I look up and see that Eli Hamilton is headed straight for me with some older, somehow familiar-looking guy. “Teddy! We have to talk to you!”
I look up at Astor. “It really just wasn’t meant to be.”
“No, this has to be now,” he says, his voice growing urgent. “Let Wills deal with him.” He grabs me by the arm and starts trying to tow me off to the corner, but I wriggle myself free.
Wills has indeed slowed the rep and his friend down, but now my curiosity is piqued. I’m much more interested in hearing what Eli has to say to me rather than hear Astor try to make another indecent proposal.
“Give it up, Astor,” I shout over the drone of the crowd. “Go find your girl. Where is she anyway?”
I turn around in a circle, but don’t spot Victoria anywhere.
Astor rolls his eyes. “I don’t care where she went! I need to talk to you.”
Eli has pulled free of Wills’ grasp and is heading directly toward me, calling my name. I wave an arm up over the crowd, and they hurry over. If I can’t shake Astor, then he’s just going to have to hear what Eli has to say too.
His friend is staring at me hard when they get here, not saying anything. Again, he looks familiar, but I just can’t place my finger on it. I’m sure I’ve never met him before in my life, or I would remember. Eli tries to steer me towards a quieter corner in the back, but we aren’t having an luck, so he just has to raise his voice.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, astounded.
He pauses and looks around. “What, the cellar parties? Teddy, I was coming to cellar parties when I was a student here. I’m not going to say anything. That’s not why I’m here. Listen, remember when we were in the hall, talking?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He looks slightly sheepish. “I took some of your hair.”
Astor looks at Eli like he just said he’s been sniffing my panties, and I don’t blame him. Maybe this guy is a weirdo after all.
“Okay …” I say, not able to hide the wariness from my tone, even over the loudness all around us. “Um. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say to that.”