Steve and Open
Steve knew he should come. At the very least his kids deserved chance to have some fun, beside the fact that the party was thrown partly in his honor. So he came, and he smiled to those who wished him a happy birthday, ate enough to avoid wary glances, and did his best not to bother anyone.
But if he were honest, it felt wrong. He hadn't celebrated anything in two years, he didn't feel like he should be celebrating, never mind being celebrated. But he didn't want to ruin things for anyone else, so once these thoughts crept up, he grabbed himself a beer that he wouldn't drink and moved to the edge of the party. He just stood there, counting heads over and over and over. Watching. Making sure none of them disappeared. It was irrational, he knew that, but it helped anyway. Somehow.