"So no one wanted to bring a date, huh?" Darcy asks.
You hadn't thought about it, but now that Darcy brought it up, why didn't any of your colleagues bring a spouse? "It's not like I'm alone with my thoughts here," you say.
"Do I count as thoughts?" Alex asks.
You very much do not.
Wilcox snorts. "Sondra hates college shindigs."
"I'm surprised your presence doesn't balance that out," Darcy says.
Wilcox misses the insult. "She says not even I can make her come."
Darcy's lips tighten into a just-suppressed smile. She desperately wants to make a joke, but isn't going to.
Alex says, "Later you will have to explain this entire exchange to me. Humans are baffling."
"Amala couldn't come back when we had to tell everyone we were roommates," Dr. Ellison says. "So we never fell in the habit of attending each others' work functions."
Everyone looks at Eze, who shrugs. "I am between partners at the moment."
"So glad everyone answered me," Darcy says. "Teach me to open Pandora's box."
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