“Ah, here he is, the man of the hour!” Craig announced as Julian made his way into the living room. There was an immediate round of applause, and Julian was inundated with hugs and kisses from the assembled crowd. He did his best to be gracious, despite his underlying feelings of irritation.
Of course, there were the expected comments and questions about Virgil. Some of the guests seemed to have versions of the story that were much more dramatic than the one Julian had given Craig and Stephen. Julian tried his best to set the record straight, but his well-wishers seemed to insist on making him the victim of a tragic end to a love affair gone bad. The party was going in just the direction he’d feared.
Craig came up to him, thrust a drink into his hand, and steered him to the table of hors
