(Michelle Lui's POV)
The restaurant Andy picked was one of those places with floor-to-ceiling windows, warm amber lighting, and tiny pumpkins as table accents. Fall-themed, cozy, expensive.
The kind of place where normal people relax.
The kind of place where we sit down and accidentally summon emotional catastrophes.
"Table for Nine," Andy told the host confidently.
Nine.
All Nine of us.
One round table.
Perfect for sharing dishes.
Perfect for passing drinks.
Perfect for making eye contact with people you're trying to avoid.
Fantastic.
We took our seats — in whatever formation fate, impulse, and passive-aggressive territorial energy dictated.
THE SEATING ARRANGEMENT OF DOOM:
Andy at my left
Kate at my right
Jeff beside Kate
Vince beside Jeff
Steven beside Vince
Lara beside Steven
Anthony beside Lara
Jasmine beside Anthony
Me, completing the circle between Andy and Kate
I stared at the table.
"…This is a terrible idea," I whispered.
