Every Little Thing

29

Now that we're in, it's hard not to loosen up. The stress alleviates itself from my shoulders—there are so many people here, and so many of them hardly know me. I can be whoever I want to be tonight, and although I probably won't act on the feeling, it's a nice reassurance to have.

Reed, however, is stiff and twitchy. His eyes move from one side of the room to the next, his hand firm on the small of my back as I begin to move forward, pushing through the masses. I recognize a few faces here and there, but other than that, we seem to be in a sea full of strangers.

"This is a bit crowded," Reed says to me, right as someone trips over his foot and we narrowly miss an oncoming splash of beer. I nod, sighing as the excitement I'd felt earlier slowly ebbs away. This is a party just like all the others. Loud, sweaty, and crowded.

I let Reed lead the way, and we find ourselves at the foot of the staircase, standing next to some nervous-looking kid with blond hair that flops over his eyes.

"Hey," he says, lifting a hand in greeting. "Um—this is my party. Glad you guys could come."

I know for a fact that he doesn't recognize us, but I smile all the same.

"Pretty good turnout," I say, having to raise my voice over the music. "What are you doing over here by yourself?"

He grimaces and says, "Preventing bedroom activity. This is the first party I've ever thrown—it's going to be the death of me."

"Yes, well, it's an art form." Reed replies, his tone slightly terse. "Is there a balcony or something up there? We don't want to fool around, we just need some space to breathe."

The kid nods, smiling at us as if it's the first time someone's approached him all night, and maybe it is.

"Yeah, you can take the stairs straight up to the roof. There's a few lawn chairs up there, I think. Just don't tell anyone about it."

"Thanks," Reed says, and I nearly laugh out loud with relief. He extends a hand towards the boy and says, "I'm Reed, by the way."

"James," he replies, and I give him a small wave.

"I'm Evelyn. Thanks a billion."

"No problem."

With that, we begin to make our way upstairs, climbing about three flights until we finally reach the door that leads to a flat rooftop, the expanse of sky stretching above us, murky black and sprinkled with stars. The breeze is warm, a nice contrast to the weather lately, and I settle into a cheap lawn chair that creaks when I shift. Reed takes the seat beside me, and he releases a breath.

"Leave it to us to find the most isolated place in a house party," he laughs, and I shake my head with a smile.

"I like it up here. At least there's no weird smells or beer."

"You're right about that," he breathes, closing his eyes. "It's nice to have quiet for once."

"Yeah," I reply softly, leaning back a little farther so I can see him clearly, "Gives us time to think."

"About what?" He asks, and I hear the curiosity in his tone, clear as day.

"Anything," I say, lifting my shoulder in a shrug. "Anything and everything we want to."

"Well," Reed laughs then, "I'll be thinking of you, then."

I feel my heart skip a beat as I whisper back, "Same here."

We fall into silence for a while, and instead of thinking of him, I just watch him. Him, with his eyes closed and freckled face pointed towards the sky, his fingers tapping the chair absentmindedly, mouth working itself into a smile every once and while. I exhale deeply, my eyes tracing every contour and crevice of his face.