He'd finally learned her name and connection to his roommate six days later. He'd been eating dinner with Alec when Leah and Tory had stopped by their table. They stayed long enough to ask Alec how things were going and for his roommate to introduce Duncan to the two upperclassmen.
Although they didn't interact much, Duncan's crush remained firmly in place until Tory graduated two years later. These days, they occasionally found themselves at the same events, but he couldn't remember the last time they'd spoken.
So far, all the couples had returned to the audience after leaving the stage. Duncan expected they would do the same. But she paused at the bottom of the steps rather than lead him to where she'd been sitting.
“We can stay here if you want, but I thought it'd be nice to find a quieter place to catch up.”
He had no desire to linger in the ballroom and watch Courtney auction off the remaining seven sacrifices. “Let's go somewhere else.”
“It's nice out tonight, and since everyone is in here, the terrace is probably empty. I just need to get my purse.”
Duncan didn't care what the weather was. He loved being outdoors, and some fresh air would be nice. “Lead the way.”
While up on stage, he'd seen Alec and Gianna seated with Tory. Both were missing now.
“Did Gianna and Alec leave?” Duncan asked after he greeted the familiar faces sitting at the table. He hadn't seen his cousin in over a month and hoped to say hello at least.
One of Alec's cousins nodded. “According to Alec, they had someplace to be. But he said he'll call you soon,” Callie said.
Yeah, right. It was more likely Alec had seen what he'd come for and gone back to his hotel room or wherever he and Gianna were spending the night.
“Duncan and I are going to find someplace quieter to talk.” Tory slipped the strap of a purse so tiny he wondered what she could possibly keep in it over her shoulder.
“Will you be back?” Leah asked.
“Maybe.”
They stopped so Tory could arrange payment and exited the lobby. Much like when he'd arrived, the area was empty except for two hotel employees.
“I'm sorry, the terrace is closed to guests this evening,” a hotel employee informed them when they approached the glass doors leading outside.
The flickering candles and floral arrangements visible on the other side of the glass told a different story. The area was unavailable to most guests. Someone was using the terrace, and he could just make out the back of a man's head—one that, even from this distance, he recognized.
Rather than argue, Tory smiled and turned around. “It looks the opposite of closed to me,” Tory said, her voice not much above a whisper as they walked away. “I'm pretty sure that's Alec and Gianna out there.”
“When he came backstage to visit me, Alec told me he’s proposing tonight. So my guess is he's doing it now.”
“Well, it looks like he made it special.”
Duncan agreed with her there. “Where to now? We can try the lounge downstairs. It might be a little more private than in there.” He pointed toward the ballroom.
“Maybe.” Her mouth formed a shadow of a frown. “I'm staying here, so we could go back to my suite.”
He'd had women he didn't know invite him back to their hotel rooms, but he'd never accepted. Some lines he didn't cross. But Tory was more an acquaintance than a stranger, and while the lounge might be less crowded than the ballroom, it wouldn't be empty.
“Whatever you want. I'm staying here too, so we could also go back to my suite.”
He could practically see the gears turning in Tory's head as he waited for an answer. “Let's go to my room. It's a Saturday night, so the lounge is probably crowded and noisy. I don't feel like shouting to be heard.”
Duncan followed her into the elevator and watched as she pressed the button for the eighth floor. “I'm on that floor too. Suite 802.”
“You're across the hall from me.”
Two couples dressed for a night out joined them when the elevator stopped at the next floor, pausing any further conversation until they reached their destination.
“Make yourself comfortable.” Tory left her purse on a table and headed into the small kitchenette.
Except for the pictures on the wall, Tory's suite was identical to his.