Page 66 of Play Room Actor

“Hey!” someone suddenly called from behind us.

Before I knew it, an arm draped over my shoulder, and Vanja was standing between Eliah and me.

“I missed you guys!” she said, already a bit tipsy.

“Looks like Vanja can’t handle alcohol,” I teased, seeing she’d clearly been here for a while.

“One beer!” she called to the bartender, fumbling with the strands of her hair. “Jacob and Stephan already started with tequila shots. I should’ve come with you guys. Damn it! I hate tequila.”

“Here,” I said, gesturing to the pizza. “Have some.”

Vanja wrinkled her nose. “There’s ham on that! I don’t eat meat.”

“Margherita is in the oven!” the red-haired bartender called.

As I turned back to the pizza, I barely managed to grab the last slice, as the others had already helped themselves.

“You might want to stay here,” Eliah said. “Those pieces are disappearing fast.”

When a table next to us opened up, the three of us sat down. Vanja kept a watchful eye on the bar, waiting for her meatless pizza. It was a good spot since lots of people passed by and stopped to chat with us while waiting for their drinks.

I kept scanning the room, glancing at people sitting at the tables and watching the dancers. By now, I was well aware that I was searching for Kilian—he had to be around somewhere.

“Have you seen Kilian?” I asked Vanja, who had just sat back down with a slice of pizza.

“Yeah,” she said, taking a bite and turning her head. “He was over there with Theo and Manuela, but … not anymore.” With her mouth full, she turned back to me. “So what’s going on between you two? Is there something going on?”

I’ve always been cautious about discussing my personal life, so I just shrugged and sipped my beer.

“You two have something going on, don’t you?” Vanja pressed, and Eliah, now also intrigued, turned to face us.

“With who?” I asked, puzzled.

“Dominic and Kilian,” Vanja said, singing with her mouth full.

“What, really?” Eliah asked.

I scoffed. “There’s nothing going on.”.

“I thought you liked women?” Vanja said. “I mean … I like you.”

“You like Hamlet,” Eliah corrected her.

“Yes! The best Hamlet I’ve ever seen. Damn it! I’ve been single way too long. What about you, Eliah? Got a girlfriend?”

“No, but … sorry. Nothing’s going to happen between us.”

“Why not?” Vanja asked, scrunching her forehead.

“You mentioned that anyone who eats meat won’t make it to your bed.”

“Ugh!” Vanja rolled her eyes and took a bite of her pizza. Her frustration over her own ideology faded when she noticed how quiet I had become. “So, Dominic. You and Kilian. What’s he like?”

I opened my mouth but hesitated when I realized I didn’t know the answer.

What was Kilian like? Extroverted? Dominant? Open? Wild?

But how did that fit with what I had witnessed last Tuesday? He had looked like someone carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Tired. Drained. Sad.