“Rose! There’s my Rose.”

The shock of hearing Royce call my name is the only reason I can think of that compels me to walk toward the group.


“Royce?” I ask in disbelief. Never, in all the time I’ve known him, have I seen him drunk. At parties he’s always refused to partake in alcohol, but now…


I’m flabbergasted at the display I see before me. Five grown men acting like ill-behaved children, making crude jokes and improper gestures as Royce asks one of them whether he was right.


“Isn’t she the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?” he slurs.