Chapter 63

There wasn’t much in this room, but one thing there was plentyof, was alcohol. Billy couldn’t remember how many glasses of white wine he’d had so far. Too many. A bottle of Chardonnay lay empty nearby. August had helped him with it. And they’d had Sambuca shots, too. August had dropped coffee beans in the shots and lit them up. Billy was drunk. Maybe a little apathetic and careless. He couldn’t seem to figure anything out and couldn’t make himself be heard. Or was he even trying anymore?

Sitting on a pillow, with his back up against the wall, Billy watched Xavier and Fabienne, who were sitting on pillows on the other side of the blanket, which was full of empty food containers, booze bottles, and ashtrays. They were talking closely, face to face, with their knees almost touching. Billy gazed at their dark hair—at the candlelight catching in it, and a little bitter, envied their beauty.