The Party & The Kiss

The party was already loud by the time we arrived.

Bass thumped through the floorboards of the overcrowded house. Someone had strung cheap string lights across the ceiling, and the air smelled like spilled beer, perfume, and the sweet-sour mix of too many mixed drinks. A mutual friend from college Jess had declared it a “mandatory reunion,” which meant half the people we used to know were packed into the living room and kitchen, shouting over the music.

Riley looked good. She always did, but tonight the low light caught the gold in her hair and the easy way she moved through the crowd like...