Avery had gone over and over it in his mind until he'd started to feel extremely foolish. Stay and hide in his room, or go down to the billiard room? He knew intellectually that it was ridiculous to get so bent out of shape over such a minor concern, but his brain had often been overruled by his particular fears. What did he think was going to happen? He should go downstairs, and if he got freaked out by too many people, he could come back to his room. His other ventures out hadn't been that awful, after all. He could do this.
Fortified by his own mental browbeating, Avery got dressed in dark slacks and a button down shirt, combed his hair, brushed his teeth and then checked them a couple of times to make sure he hadn't somehow missed something hideously caught in them and then finally left his room. It was a few minutes after seven, but he didn't think it was necessary to be perfectly on time for a casual party. After he got downstairs, he followed the sound of voices to the billiard room and walked inside, trying not to look too tentative or awkward. Next he walked over to the bar, glancing at the others that were grouped around it with a brief nod. Here he was: he'd proven to himself that he could do it.