The last guests had finally left. Their car lights disappeared down the driveway, and the house grew quiet. Only the four of us remained, me, Ryan, Jake, and Clara. We gathered in the living room for a short while, sitting on the big couches. Ryan poured everyone a final drink. We talked about the party, how well it went, and some business deals that came up. Jake laughed at a joke Ryan made, acting like nothing had happened earlier. Clara smiled and leaned against him, looking tired but happy. I nodded along, forcing small laughs when I needed to. My mind kept drifting to what might come next.
After about twenty minutes, Ryan stretched and stood up. “It’s getting late. We should all get some rest.”
We said goodnight. Ryan and I headed upstairs to our bedroom while Jake and Clara went to
