Memphis was trying his best to move on from that terrible moment, but he couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness. It really did feel like the world had dropped out from under him, and not in the good way that their passionate closeness had made him feel these past several months. For the first time in his life, he felt....lost. He didn't know what to say, didn't know what to do. He had no idea how to act, and it made him feel naked and vulnerable in ways he wasn't comfortable with. What the fuck was wrong with him?
It was hard for someone like Memphis to be this unsettled. He always knew the right words, always felt 100% confident in himself. He never had to feel like he wasn't good enough; like he was really doing everything wrong. Suddenly, he didn't feel so sure of anything anymore, whereas a few minutes ago he'd felt like king of the world. "I think you can. It would just take a little extra control," he mused, though his words came out distracted. His hand might have been in Storm's, but his mind was miles away.
As they sat down to eat, the smell of food didn't make his mouth water instantly as it normally did. Memphis couldn't help watching Storm carefully, trying to gauge what might be going through her head. Was she relieved he was pretending it had never happened? Was she relieved to think maybe he might have been kidding? Not knowing was killing Memphis, so he did the only thing he could think of...started talking.
"So. You know how I told you about that big charity benefit my dad is throwing," he began after what seemed like hours of tense silence. When Storm indicated she remembered, he went on. "I was hoping you would go with me. Get to meet my father, help me survive the stiff boredom sure to occur, let me show you off a bit." He managed a genuine smile here, though his eyes still looked distracted and sad.