Nostalgia enwraps me as I watch Liam moving away. It's suddenly cold, physically and emotionally cold. I embrace the loneliness, hugging myself tight, homesick, my mind ablaze.

He's mad . . . so mad and hurt.

Sullenly, I make my way back to the girls, and Sam's gaze is what takes my breath away as we bump into each other. She's on her way towards the bar, where Jamal and Natasha are having a lovebird moment. She looks dubiously at me, her face crunched.

"Hey, where were you?" she asks, and seems a bit tipsy that she nearly stumbles on the barstool.

"The restroom," I answer.

She doesn't buy my...