"Please don't cry--"

"I can't help it. I'm going to miss you so much." Clio's face was a study in misery as it looked at Archie through the computer screen. Archie could feel his heart twisting as he looked at her.

"I know, darling, and I'm going to miss you as well, but there's still a chance we'll see each other over the break, right? I mean, your parents haven't absolutely said no to your going to France, have they?" He smiled at her.

Clio shook her head. "No, they haven't said no, but they haven't said yes, either."

And Archie knew better than to point out that Clio was eighteen and could do as she liked, that she didn't need her parents' permission. Clio was a good girl, a good daughter, still dependent on her family emotionally, and there was no way she'd go against her mother and father and simply flout their wishes. Even if he offered to pay for her to come to Courchevel while he was there, she wouldn't do it if Pete and Daisy didn't agree. 

"Even if we don't see each other over the break, it's barely four weeks, we'll make it," Archie said, trying to sound encouraging. It did sound long to him, too, however, and the thought of not being with Clio for twenty-nine days was daunting to him as well.

It was mid-December, and Clio was leaving the following morning with her family for Tuscany to spend the holidays there. Archie wasn't leaving for three more days for Surrey, where he would meet the rest of the Spencers. The ski trip to Courchevel, France, was to happen in the new year, with just him, his sister, Poppy, and her husband, Skip. Archie would love for Clio to come, but of course her parents wanted her to spend time with them at the family winery, Colibrí, in Tuscany, Italy.

"Well, I guess I'd better go," Clio said, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her nightgown. "I still have a couple more things to pack, and there's no point in just crying to you about the same thing, is there?"

"Really? You have to go?" Suddenly, Archie felt very lonely and alone. They'd found time to make love four more times since that first time, and each time had been better than the time before. Archie wondered how long it could keep improving, since it was already the best sex he'd ever had. And holding Clio after, when they were both exhausted and spent, was the best feeling in the world.

Clio nodded, so they reluctantly ended the call.

Archie thought about Clio while he had a drink and watched a movie, with Melody and Harmony in his lap. Then he thought about her while he brushed his teeth. Then he thought about her while he tried to fall asleep. Then he thought about her while he wanked, and for the few minutes after until he actually fell asleep. 

And then he dreamed about her.

And when he woke up the next morning and realized that she was actually gone, he felt bereft and alone, feelings that only grew as the day went on. Knowing his beloved was somewhere over the Atlantic with her family created feelings in him he'd never known, feelings like he physically wanted to charter a plane and chase after her or something. It just seemed wrong, on a cosmic level, for his Clio to be so far away from him. It was harder to breathe or something.

When his phone pinged around six thirty with an e-vite to a party at a friend's house he was almost relieved to have something to do besides think about Clio. He took a shower, pulled on clean clothes and grabbed a cab.

🍻🍕🍹🍕🍸🍕🍷🍕🥂🍕🥃

The party was already roaring when he got there. It wasn't a fraternity, but it was a large house in Queens that was rented by eight students, so it might as well have been. 

"Archie! You made it!" He was welcomed by everyone who saw him, as he was always a good sport, and always up for a beer run. 

"Where's Clio?"

Archie turned to Tara, the girl who was asking.  "She's on her way to Italy with her family," he replied, looking as sad as he felt. 

"Oh, too bad," Tara responded, making a face of sympathy. The moment Archie was out of earshot, however, she turned to her friend. "Ohmygod, Archie Spencer's on his own tonight! Willow Cordero's going have a cow!"

"Never mind Willow," the friend retorted. "Every girl here's going to be flipping her shit." She straightened her hair and unbuttoned the top two buttons on her sweater. "Including me," she added with a smirk.

"How drunk are you?" Tara asked.

"Just drunk enough," her friend said, giving herself the once over in a convenient mirror. "How do I look?"

"Great!"

"Okay, I'm going in, wish me luck!"

Tara laughed at her friend and momentarily wished she herself didn't have a boyfriend. The news that Archie Spencer was at the party without his girlfriend and feeling lonely was spreading like wildfire. While everyone liked Clio well enough, there was a feeling that she had too much of everything; she was pretty, rich, talented, had a glamorous life and was smart at a genius level in an institution where brains were coveted beyond all else. It just wasn't fair that she'd also managed to snag the best looking and wealthiest guy in the whole school to boot. No one would feel particularly guilty if they were able to convince Archie to stray a little, even if it were only for one night.

"Archie Spencer! What are you doing without a drink?"

Archie turned and was confronted by a girl he knew slightly from one of his classes whose name he couldn't recall. She was holding out a glass of something that looked dark and potent and smiling at him.

"Well, I've only just arrived," he answered with a grin, taking the glass and hoisting it in thanks before taking a sip.

Christ on a bike, it was strong.

"Did you mix this yourself?" he asked the girl.

She nodded with a mischievous laugh. "Do you like it?"

"It's, uh, quite potent," he answered cautiously. "I'd better pace myself so I don't wind up pissed in half an hour."

"Man, I love your accent," she answered.

"Archie, there you are!" 

He turned to find Willow at his elbow, wearing a pretty yellow dress that was cut daringly low in front.

"I heard Clio took off for Italy and left you on your own?" Willow shook her head. "How could she do that?"

"It's the holidays, she went with her family," Archie explained. 

"Still, she shouldn't have left you," Willow chided. "What are you drinking?" She took his glass and helped herself to a drink, eyes widening at how strong it was. "Wowza, I'd better get myself one so I can catch up," she declared.

From then on, Archie found that he had no problem keeping a drink in his hand or a companion nearby to talk to. Usually there were multiple companions, of the female variety. They were very pleasant, pretty and fun to talk to and all, but didn't they know he had a girlfriend?

Archie was bemused.

And, though he'd been on the road with his brother, both when he was in a band and as a solo performer, Archie was shocked at the level of "partying" that went on at the house in Queens. He'd spent a year at UCLA, but he'd been living with his brother, sister in law and nieces, and hadn't really partied very much, so this was all new to him. And, because this was an Ivy League school, Archie had thought that maybe things might be calmer.

Au contraire.

There were things going on here that would put any of the rock and roll parties he'd attended to shame. He counted at least three games of "strip--" fill in the blank, be it pong, poker, even karaoke. And some of the kids from his organic chem class were in the basement cooking up some kind of drug that they swore would blast you into the stratosphere if you mixed it in a joint and smoked it.

Couldn't that cause brain damage? Weren't these guys worried?

Apparently not.

And the amount of liquor they consumed was simply mind boggling. They had actually rented an extra receptacle from the city just to dispose of their empty bottles, and it was already nearly half full.

Archie had been sad at first Clio wasn't with him, but as the night wore on, he became more and more glad, then relieved, that she was in Europe with her family. This was no place for her. 

"Archie? Dance with me, mmkay?" 

"What?"

It was Willow, tugging on his hand, pulling him toward a darkened room where slow music was playing and people were getting high and dancing. Archie let himself be pulled, thinking it might be nice to get away from the screaming and loud music for a few minutes.

"Okay, but just one dance, yeah?" he finally said. "I need to get home."

"Why? Who's waiting for you besides your cats?" Willow asked as she stepped into his arms.

"No one, but believe it or not, I had enough of hard partying when I was younger," Archie tried to explain. "This is a little too wild for me, that's all."

"Aww, poor Archie," Willow drawled, running her hands through his hair and scooting closer. "Well, let's at least have the one dance, then."

So Archie danced, though it was really just swaying in Willow's arms. They weren't even moving their feet, as far as he could tell.

Someone in the darkened room passed Willow a joint, and she took a long, deep hit, holding her breath for maximum benefit.

Archie was getting ready to tell her he didn't want any when she leaned in and kissed him, hard, holding his head to hers with her free hand and exhaling forcefully into his mouth. He got a mouthful of smoke, and even though he started to cough almost immediately, most of it went down into his lungs. Willow held the kiss for a few seconds, and Archie was drunk enough and surprised enough that he didn't fight back, getting a full hit of the pot, and whatever else was in the joint.

He hoped it wasn't the homemade stuff from the basement.

"Shit! Willow, what the fuck?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't want any?" Her voice was innocent and merry.

"No! I don't get high anymore, Jesus!"

Willow stepped back, handing the joint to someone else. "God, I'm sorry, Archie, really, I didn't mean to make you mad."

Archie turned and left the room, with Willow following, contrite.

"Please, Archie, forgive me, I was just having fun, honest!"

He turned to her, wiping the tears from under her eyes. "Don't cry, don't cry. It was only one hit, I'm sure I'm not going to die."

But a few minutes later, Archie wasn't sure of anything anymore.