Her and Blake’s story didn’t end in a happily ever after, but he’d showed her that love—that deep, all-consuming love people wrote songs and movies and books about—was real. Farrah experienced it, even if he hadn’t. While this story hadn’t turned out the way she hoped, perhaps the next one would.
Farrah took a deep breath and pushed her sadness aside. It was her last night. Time to enjoy it.
She joined her friends on the dance floor. Sammy’s unbuttoned shirt bared his muscular chest, a sure sign he was drunk. Courtney hopped onto Luke’s back and fist-pumped the air, even though they weren’t playing fist-pumping music. Olivia and Kris took turns spinning each other around until Kris crashed into Nardo, who tried to start a conga line. No one except Flo joined him, but it was nice to see him loosen up for a change.
“Farrah, get your sexy ass over here!” Courtney climbed off Luke’s back and corralled Farrah, Kris, and Olivia into a group hug.
“I love you girls,” she said, her blue eyes bright with emotion.
“No crying,” Kris warned. “It gives me the heebie-jeebies.”
Olivia’s jaw dropped. “Did Kris Carrera just use the term ‘heebie-jeebies?’”
“No, I didn’t. You can’t prove it. If you tell anyone, I’ll kill you.”
They cracked up at the same time. Farrah took a mental snapshot and tucked it away in her box of cherished memories. She hoped she never forgot the love she felt in that moment.
“This is it, guys.” She squeezed her friends tighter. “Let’s make it count.”
And for the rest of the night, they did. Farrah and her friends soaked up the magic of their last hours together, surrendering themselves to the music, the lights, and the pulsing neon energy that coursed through Shanghai.
Tomorrow seemed like ages away.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Midnight came and went. Blake didn’t join FEA’s revelry, afraid of the secrets that might spill out should he drink too much. Nevertheless, he couldn’t bring himself to return to the dorm.
After Courtney’s toast, Blake went outside for some fresh air. He ended up staying on the bench by Gino’s entrance, watching the comings and goings of after-hours Shanghai: the street vendors hawking meat skewers to drunken revelers. The cab driver chain-smoking out his open window. The group of hip teens drinking by the curb, even though it was a school night and they couldn’t be older than sixteen.
Blake tried to square the scene in front of him with his life back home: neighborhood barbecues, white picket fences, and minivans in the Texas suburbs. He couldn’t.
He remembered arriving in Shanghai and being overwhelmed by the noise, the people, the strange foods and sounds and sights. He’d never visited Asia before. Hadn’t even thought about it until he quit the team and the ensuing chaos forced him to run as far away as possible.
Blake hadn’t expected to love this city so much. It had its flaws, but this year it became his home away from home. Here, he was free to be who wanted to be—and he liked who he was in Shanghai.
It opened his eyes to a world beyond Texas, and now that he’d seen it, he didn’t want to go back.
His son or daughter would grow up, and if the bar was successful, he’d expand. If not, he’d try a different market. Either way, Blake wasn’t meant to stay in his hometown for the rest of his life. That, he knew for sure.
As the wee morning hours wore on, FEAers trickled out of Gino’s in waves. Some had early flights; some had other activities in mind.
Luke and Janice were the first to leave. He winked at Blake on his way past while Janice nuzzled his neck. As far as Blake knew, they’d spoken less than ten words to each other before tonight.
Ending the semester with a bang—literally. Good for them.
Courtney, Kris, Leo and Olivia left next. They all ignored Blake except Leo, who acknowledged him with a slight chin tilt.
B
y the time the clock struck two, most of FEA had left.
Except Farrah.
Worry niggled at Blake. He was about to check on her when the door swung open and a sobered-up Sammy stumbled out holding Farrah. Her eyes were half-closed; her head lolled forward on her chest.
“Is she ok?” Unsure of what to do, Blake stood, sat, and stood again.
“Yeah. She should be fine after some rest and water. She fell asleep in there, and Gino’s is about to close.” Sammy propped Farrah up against the railing. “Can you bring her back to the dorm? I have to get Nardo. Last I saw, he was hurling his guts out in the bathroom.”