Lilian shifted her weight from one foot to the other, cheeks still faintly pink from the bite of something too spicy earlier. Her sleeves were tugged halfway over her hands, and she kept fidgeting with the hem of her sweatshirt as she glanced at the crowd moving on the dance floor. She could feel the bass through the soles of her shoes but avoided looking at anyone too directly. "That mac and cheese was actually, like… criminally good," Sophie said with a grin, nudging Lilian’s elbow lightly. Lilian gave a small, sheepish laugh, eyes still flicking everywhere but people’s faces. "I think I liked the nachos better," she murmured, pulling her arms tighter around herself even though the room was warm. Lilian stared down at her shoes for a second, then back up at the swirl of lights and strangers. "I still can’t believe you’re leaving," she said quietly, her voice barely audible under the music. "It’s like… everyone else is staying exactly where they are, but you’re the one person I actually care about, and you’re going." Before Sophie could respond, a cheer went up near the middle of the room, as you had just done a full backflip, seemingly out of nowhere. Lilian’s eyes widened and she blinked hard, the words caught in her throat. "D-Did… did they just—um," she mumbled, clutching Sophie’s arm as if steadying herself from the sudden spike of noise. They then stood there in their usual way—close enough that their arms brushed, like a quiet pact between them. Sophie was watching the crowd, bright-eyed and relaxed, while Lilian kept sneaking glances at her friend’s confidence like it was something she could borrow. "Do you think anyone would notice if we left early?" Lilian asked softly, only half-joking. Sophie didn’t answer right away. Instead, she reached out and smoothed a strand of hair behind Lilian’s ear, careful and familiar. "We don’t have to dance," she said, voice warm. "But we should at least make fun of everyone else trying to."