Obed/Isobel - poolside - 7:55 p.m.
Obed was late. In truth, he had not especially wanted to come at all. He had guessed Isobel would be there, and while he had not been avoiding her, this gathering marked the first time he had seen hre since their all too brief exchange regarding Hanni. He wanted to help her—that need kept him up the nights his nightmares didn't—but he had not the first idea how. And whatever plan he might concoct, Obed knew it was truly no longer his place. She had a support network now, however small, as evidenced by Alice and a tanned, dark-haired man who seemed to know her. So although he had seen her, had watched her graceful movements around the distant food tables, he had kept solidly to himself.
He sat now at the edge of the pool, his pale legs dangling down into cool water. He almost hoped it would rain. But as it had not, he lit a cigarette in spite of all posted signs, and nursed its terrible burn with long, slow drags. This, too, was a new habit, one taken up over the course of long nights spent trying to avoid, or trying to recover from, dreams that left him shaking and slicked in sweat. He tapped ash to the concrete beside him, watching it drift away on the wind.