Chapter 42

Tess pulls her face away from mine. For a moment, we struggle with eye contact, gauging each other. It couldn’t have been good for her either

“Friends?” she asks, holding her hand out for a shake.

“Friends,” I agree, taking her hand with a firm grip.

We hug and the tension dissipates instantly in our laughter.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” she says into my ear as she pulls me in and we start dancing again. “What did one virus say to the other virus?”

Tess and I pass the rest of the time in the bar telling science jokes, talking, and trying to be each other’s wing-women. I try talking to a pretty girl with a nerdy vibe to help Tess break the ice; Tess points out a few cute butches, but no one really catches my interest.

“What about her?” Tess says, nodding discreetly across the bar.

I follow her gaze and see Syd, a shot being poured on the bar in front of her. She takes it and puts it to her lips, the liquid disappearing in one fluid motion as she knocks her head back