Chapter 4

The air in the private booth still tasted of expensive champagne and the faint, sweet dusting of sugar from the churros we’d devoured an hour ago. Outside the heavy velvet curtains that separated our secluded nook from the main event hall, the muffled thrum of the remaining partygoers drifted like a distant storm. It was late—past midnight—and the grand ballroom of the amusement park’s exclusive after-hours venue was finally emptying out. The staff had been clearing tables, the clinking of silverware and the low murmur of waiters breaking the silence, but here, in the corner where the ambient lighting had been dimmed to a warm, amber glow, time seemed to have stopped entirely. This specific nook was a masterpiece of forced intimacy. It was an alcove carved out from the main floor, enclosed by floor-to-ceiling mirrors that reflected our silhouettes back at us from a dozen angles, making it feel as though we were surrounded by an endless army of witnesses. Above us, a crystal chandelier cast fractured diamonds of light across the plush, burgundy velvet banquette where we sat. The space was narrow, long enough for two to sit side-by-side but close enough that our knees nearly touched, a