Elaine woke up the next morning with the soft throb of a social hangover, the type from people rather than alcohol. Too many faces, too many conversations, too much forced smiling. Her mind wandered back to the mixer. To Milo and Jonathan, to the guy whose smile was a bit too knowing, to Phantasy stepping in.
She shook it off as she rolled out of bed with a soft groan to get a late start on the afternoon. She collected her clothes, slipped into the bathroom, and splashed water on her face. She stared at her tired reflection, then brushed her teeth in the silence.
She had just finished brushing her teeth when her phone lit up, buzzing on the bathroom counter with an incoming call from Luca.
"Oh," she blinked. He doesn't typically call.
She hit accept, putting the phone on speaker. "Hey?"
"Elaine," Luca said. "You survived."
"Barely," she laughed under her breath.
