Felix lights a cigarette. He takes a drag, holds the smoke in his cheeks, and then slowly exhales. As the air thickens in front of his lips, the cold bites at his cheeks. Jisung holds his phone in both hands, scrolling through social media while humming a tune. At the end of the street, Felix spots the outline of the bus coming closer. He taps Jisung’s leg and stands up.

Katy’s birthday is the first opportunity in months for their group of friends to finally all be together again. It’s amazing how adulthood can make planning anything nearly impossible—with some people working, others having conflicting schedules, someone traveling, and others going through breakups, there always seems to be some obstacle in the way. Not to mention that many of them have simply lost interest in reconnecting with people who are no longer part of their inner circle. Things change, huh?

Katy had to plan the event months in advance to make sure everyone confirmed their attendance. And by "everyone," that didn’t mean hundreds of people—just eight official guests, who were allowed to bring a plus one. The “bring a friend” idea had been the key to success: even those who were hopelessly glued to their partners and couldn’t bear to leave them for a second had no excuse not to come.

Felix had decided to bring Jisung as his +1. It seemed like the least he could do, considering Jisung was doing him the massive favor of letting him stay at his apartment without asking for anything in return. Of course, Felix had thought of repaying him in some way, but Jisung had been adamant: he didn’t want money. What he would gladly accept, however, was being dragged along to any social event that came up.

After all, Jisung had always been a party animal. Felix had no idea where he got all that energy from, but Jisung was the type of guy who could keep dancing in a club until the early hours of the morning without stopping.

They’d met in a club, actually.

Felix had never been much of a fan of nightlife, but when you’re gay and don’t like using dating apps, you either learn to like going out or resign yourself to being single forever. So Felix had decided to try going to a few parties, and that’s where he’d met Jisung. They hadn’t become best friends right away—they’d gone through a phase as friends with benefits, actually—but their mutual interest had faded, and they’d stayed friends. Surprisingly, their friendship had lasted and even deepened over time.

The bus pulls up in front of Felix and Jisung, its doors hissing open noisily as they climb aboard. They head toward the first empty seats they find, and once they’re settled, the bus lurches back into motion.

“Are you sure you won’t feel uncomfortable being around people you don’t know?” Felix asks, almost out of nowhere. Jisung looks at him as if he’s grown a second head.

“Are you kidding? I’m at my best with strangers!”

Felix thinks about how different they are. He and Jisung couldn’t be more opposite. Felix doesn’t even feel at ease with people he knows, let alone strangers. It’s not that he’s shy or anything—it’s just that finding something to talk about with someone whose interests you don’t know is hard. And his rarely align with anyone else’s.

The bus rattles down the streets of Sydney. Felix thinks back to when he told everyone he’d be bringing Jisung to the party. Someone had immediately objected. Specifically, Chan had sent him about four hundred messages asking if he was SURE he didn’t want a ride from him. After saying no at least three hundred and fifty times, Felix had just stopped replying.

After ten bus stops and two subway transfers, their journey finally ends. Jisung and Felix follow the GPS, which leads them to Katy’s apartment building. It’s a tall, gray building, probably constructed in the 1960s.

The elevator takes them to the fifth floor, and they find the right apartment number. Felix rings the doorbell. From the other side of the door, they can hear laughter and voices—the party is already in full swing.

Katy appears in the doorway, smiling brightly. She’s wearing a thick emerald-green dress and dark tights. Her hair is styled neatly in a bob, and her naturally large eyes are enhanced by a subtle line of eyeliner.

“Felix!”

Katy throws her arms around his neck and hugs him so tightly she nearly squeezes the air out of him. Felix laughs as he hugs her back; her cheerfulness is definitely contagious. “I’m so glad you’re here! It’s been ages! You look as handsome as ever!”

“Look who’s talking,” Felix says, patting her back. “You look amazing. Ryan’s a lucky guy.”

Katy pulls back from the hug and smiles bashfully. Then she turns to Jisung. “Oh, sorry—I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Katy.”

“The birthday girl!” Jisung says, extending his hand. “I’m Jisung.”

“In the flesh! Come on in.”

The apartment isn’t very big, but it’s definitely charming. Katy and Ryan have completely remodeled it and gone for a minimalist style Felix approves of. There aren’t many pieces of furniture, but the ones they have are beautiful, essential, and functional. Once they reach the living room, though, that bubble of minimalism bursts. Maybe it’s the table overflowing with snacks, the red plastic cups scattered everywhere, or the people chatting noisily, half-sitting, half-standing. In any case, a minimalist party would be boring, so this is better.

Felix’s eyes land on Chan, who is turned toward a girl he’s talking to. Felix instantly knows this must be his +1, and something tightens in his stomach. His enthusiasm for the party plummets into the ground. Maybe it’s not too late to fake a sudden, excruciating stomachache and leave?

“Hey, everyone, Felix is here!” Katy announces.

Felix waves at the group, then places a hand on Jisung’s shoulder and says, “This is a close friend of mine. And also my savior. My apartment’s plumbing exploded, and he’s letting me stay with him, so don’t give him a hard time, okay? Do me a favor and make me look good.”

Laughter, a few questions about the plumbing disaster, and then a handful of questions directed at Jisung to get to know him better. The conversations pick up, but Felix still feels unsettled by the presence of the girl with Chan.

“Hey, Lix,” comes a familiar voice.

Felix turns to find Chan standing next to him. “Hey,” he says, his tone flat.

“I wanted you to meet my friend Dana,” Chan says, his arm draped around the girl’s waist. “Felix, this is Dana.”

Felix forces a smile. She’s pretty, well-groomed, and looks like someone who knows she’s attractive but isn’t vain about it. He’s sure he wouldn’t have anything against Dana—if she weren’t Chan’s +1.

“Nice to meet you,” Felix says, trying to sound friendly. It comes out sounding more annoyed than polite.

Dana mirrors his smile with equal indifference. Something’s clearly not clicking between them. Felix grabs a beer from a nearby table and opens the can. “Well, I’m going to go talk to the others—”

“What? No, wait,” Chan interrupts. He grabs Felix by the wrist and pulls him onto the couch beside him. “Where are you running off to? You’ve been avoiding me for days. I sent you a million messages, and—”

“I’ve been busy,” Felix cuts him off, taking a swig of his beer.

“You could’ve stayed with me,” Chan says.

Felix looks at him like he’s an idiot. Of course he couldn’t stay with Chan. If not for his feelings, then because Chan has a habit of bringing home a different girl every other night. Felix wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?”

“If you have to ask, you really are an idiot.”

Chan rolls his eyes, exasperated. “And you’re being ridiculous. What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Felix says, perhaps too quickly.

Dana places a hand on Chan’s leg and says, “Poor guy, leave him alone. Let him have some fun, okay?”

God. The way she talks to him—like they’re much more than just friends. Where did he even meet her? And how long have they been…? No. Felix realizes that none of this is his business. And honestly, why should he care? The less he knows, the better off he’ll be. If he could erase Dana and every Dana before her from his memory, he would.

“All right, everyone,” Katy says with a laugh, her arm hooked proudly through Jisung’s. Felix wonders what he’s missed. Has Jisung already worked his magic on everyone? “Jisung suggested a game we haven’t played since high school, guaranteed. It could be fun!”

That didn’t bode well.

“What game?” Dana asks, raising her voice.

“Spin the bottle!”

Oh, hell.

Felix would need a lot more alcohol to survive this.

He seizes the opportunity to get up from the couch before Chan can stop him again. He finishes his beer in a few gulps and pours himself half a glass of whiskey. It tastes awful, burning his throat, but he knows it’ll make his head lighter, which is a plus.

He glances back toward the couch.

Dana is leaning over, whispering something into Chan’s ear. From their mischievous

expressions, it’s easy to guess the nature of their whispers.

Felix pours himself a second glass of whiskey.

And then, just to be safe, a third.

Robert and Ryan move the coffee table, tossing some cushions onto the rug, and everyone sits in a circle. Felix sits next to Jisung, keeping a safe distance from the happy couple. Someone grabs a glass bottle and places it in the center of the circle.

Felix already wants more whiskey.

Actually, he’s pretty sure not even the entire bottle would be enough.

For someone with social anxiety like him, there’s nothing worse than this kind of situation. It’s not even the idea of kissing Tiff or Rob that bothers him—what he’s really dreading is seeing Chan kiss someone else. And if Chan and Dana end up in "seven minutes in heaven"? Felix would be the next one to head for heaven himself—by jumping straight out the window.

Katy grabs the bottle and spins it. She gives it a strong twist, and it whirls like a top in the middle of the circle. Felix’s mind empties completely. He doesn’t think about anything—he only hopes it doesn’t land on Chan. He doesn’t want to see it. He doesn’t want to see Chan kissing someone else, doesn’t want to think about him and Dana locked in a room alone for seven whole minutes, whispering and giggling. Had that been the subject of their earlier exchange? What promises had Dana made to him for those seven minutes?

Felix has a few ideas.

The whiskey churns uncomfortably in his stomach.

Then the bottle stops.

The good news: it hasn’t landed on Chan.

The bad news: it has definitely, unmistakably stopped on Felix.