It is a funny function of friend group that when any of its core members are removed – like a lynchpin on a hand grenade – the others soon fly away like pieces of shrapnel. Not long after Marcia’s departure, Bailey found them, and him and Liz agreed to go on the scenic walk along the shore of the island at the foot of Aphrodite’s Landing. They had not been gone two minutes when Owen gave Vic a knowing look, gesturing with his head towards the door of the ice cream shop. For whatever reason, Vic was not in the mood to casually head to the lookout himself to watch Liz getting boned by Bailey under the open sky, so he declined with a shake of the head.

And so it was that quickly it was only Agnes and Vic left at their table, their ice creams finished. Sitting next to Agnes, Vic had a thought that crossed his mind, based on everything he’d heard and seen at Dampgate so far. He casually scooted over closer to Agnes, leaving his forearm on the table and letting it touch hers. She didn’t move her arm away, and Vic’s breath caught in his chest as they continued to sit that way, but he was not about to spook her away by doing anything else.

“Is it always this cloudy here?” Vic, the master conversationalist, decided to turn to the weather. “I don’t think I’ve seen a sunny day yet.”

“Never too cloudy for ice cream,” Agnes said, intertwining her fingers as she leaned on the table.

“That’s true.”

“But yeah, it does get sunny, though most of the time it’s like this.”

“How long have you been at Dampgate, anyway?”

“I don’t know, almost a year, maybe?” She was talking to him, yes, but her voice was somewhat distant and her attention was directed straight ahead.

“That’s also not that long.”

“No, I guess not,” Agnes said, “But you know this place, everyone is always coming and going.”

“Well, cumming, anyway,” Vic said and gave Agnes a sideways glance. She laughed, though it was more a polite huff and then turned to face him.

“You know no one here is dumb, right?” she asked, sounding as if he were possibly the only exception.

“Well …”

“Yes, yes, Sabor, Marek. There’s exceptions, but you know pretty much everyone knows you like Marcia?”

“I –”

“Marcia knows you like Marcia,” Agnes said with a slight eyeroll, almost looking like her pointed chin was wagging at him.

“She does?”

“Alright, maybe you’re also one of the exceptions.”

“I’m just trying to keep up,” Vic said, his frustration rising.

“Well do a better job of it. Can’t believe I’m going to sound like Owen right now, but you need to unwind. Fuck someone … anyone.”

“Is that an offer?” Vic asked, experiencing actual physical pain, as if he was battling against something within him to ask that question.

Here Agnes burst out into an actual laugh. “Get your shit together first, and maybe I’ll think about it.”

She started to get out from the table. “Anyway, I’m going to head out.”

“Looking for your next ‘one and done’?” Vic asked, not meaning to sound cruel, but genuinely almost jealous of Agnes’s attitude.

“You’re welcome to join me.”

“No, I’m good. I better catch up on that novel, or Liz will think I intentionally pawned off all the work on her.”

“Suit yourself, see you later.” And with a wave, Agnes was gone.

Alone and without what seemed like the supervision of his friends, Vic let the possibilities churn in his mind. He could leave this shop, wander about town, find a Dampgate girl or one of the residents of Aphrodite’s Landing, could cross that ultimate threshold. In the end, all he did was be content with some brief fantasies, and then made his way back to his dorm room to study.